Shadow Wars
by Silvershadowfire
Summary: Three thousand years ago, a young pharaoh gave his life to seal the shadows. In modern Japan, a teenager is about to become the focus of ancient magic and the catalyst for the resumption of a magical war. AU retelling of the YGO mythos
1. Chapter 1

**Shadow Wars **

Author: Silvershadowfire

Betas: DracOnyx, Ankh Ascendant

Rating: R (violence and language, some sexual situations)

Summary: Alternate Universe treatment of the YuGiOh mythos, pre-Duellist Kingdom to the Ceremonial Battle.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, based on the anime _Yu-Gi-Oh! _ by Takahashi Kazuki-sensei of Tokyo, Japan. All characters taken from that series are property of Takahashi-sensei and used without permission. Original characters belong to me. I am making no money from this work of fiction.

Notes: Please note that while I have done a great deal of research into Egypt, games, YuGiOh and various other sundry subjects and will try as much as possible to stick to gritty reality, I have taken certain liberties for artistic and creative reasons.

A glossary of terms not native to English will be at the end of each chapter.

Enjoy!

**Shadow Wars – Prologue**

"Come on." Seth grabbed his cousin's arm in defiance of all convention and divine law, pulling him from the shaking building. Stone cracked and crumbled, threatening to bury the two men in debris. The black sky through the windows blasted icy wind from the depths of Duat, reeking with chaos like the very breath of Apep. "We don't have a lot of time." Dust covered the High Priest's blue linen robes. He had lost his hat and wig at some point and his make-up smeared around exotic blue eyes, making him look like he'd been beaten around the face.

"My people are dying out there, Seth! I can't just leave them." Pharaoh Atem protested as he was dragged inelegantly through the falling rain of plaster shaken from the palace ceilings. He knew he wasn't in the best of shape either, with his ragged shenti, bruised and battered, almost exhausted. But the Millennium Puzzle shone with preternatural light around his neck, just waiting for him to touch the power inside.

"You have to. You are Pharaoh. You and the land are one. If you die, the darkness wins."

"You don't actually believe that..." Atem tugged against Seth's grip but his cousin was half again his height and stronger than he appeared. Not really surprising for a devotee of Set but a serious pain in the ass right now. "I can help them... let me go!"

"Not until you're safe. That crazy thief and his god want to kill you, and if you die then the whole resistance will go down. Now, come on."

Logic be damned, he couldn't just run away like a coward. "Seth..."

"One more word and I will knock you out, Atem. This isn't just for you... it's for everyone. We need to retreat and regroup. The capital is lost but that doesn't mean the whole country has to be."

He was right of course. They couldn't beat a god like this, broken and panicking. "Then go. Get as many of our people out as you can. I'll meet you at the temple of Atum in Annu." He didn't want to run, but Seth had a point, damn his hide. The black sky erupted with roiling lightening, thunder deafening them both for a long moment. The reek of blood hung heavy in the air.

Seth paused, his blue eyes boring into Atem's as though to gauge his intentions. "Your word..."

"I am Pharaoh, I do not lie." He drew himself up and met his cousin's glare square on. "Do not forget yourself, cousin."

The tableau held for a long moment, then Seth nodded. "Forgive me, my Pharaoh. But it is vital you escape."

"If I die, you will be Pharaoh after me." Atem replied. "By my command, you are my heir. Let the gods witness it."

Blue eyes widened, then narrowed. "Then it is all the more vital you live, I have no desire to be Pharaoh in such a way, cousin."

"But you will be a good one." Atem retrieved his arm from Seth's grip. "Go. You are Crown Prince now and speak with My authority." He slid a ring off his hand, pressing it into Seth's. "Save as many as you can. I will see you at the temple. By my word, I will not interfere." The king's eyes were dark red with power and sorrow. "I am trusting you."

Seth looked at the ring in his hand, then bowed to one knee. "By your command, my Pharaoh."

--------------at Annu ------------------------------------------

Atem stumbled as he dismounted his horse, but managed to catch his balance and walk stiffly into the temple's outer courtyard. Priests and acolytes... the temple had been abandoned, the city evacuated. Or mostly so. He'd almost been ambushed by roaming gangs of thieves and bandits twice on the way in here, people who saw only a lone man on a horse laden with rich jewels, not their king. Atem might be exhausted but he could still fight, and the very serviceable blade at his side went a long way into making sure that he was unmolested. Here, miles from the hell that was Ineb Hedj the sun was still bright, the air brisk with wind off the Nile Delta. Exhaustion dogged the Pharaoh as he guided his equally exhausted horse through the quiet streets.

Seth shouldn't be far behind him now, with the remains of the army. The should have no problems getting here, and the power of the gods would protect the temple itself from looters. He led his horse into the stables beside the temple and brushed him down, murmuring soothing nothings in his twitching ears. The gelding nuzzled his bare leg as Atem found grain, hay and straw to make him comfortable, then dipped out water to fill his trough. "Not too much now." he chided, rubbing the animal's crest gently before leaving him to his meal and going to look for his own. This was one part of his childhood running around in the kitchens to avoid his lesson helped with. Unlike probably 98% of his ancestors, Atem was a decent enough cook. Granted he was out of practise... the only ones who were holy enough to consume a meal he made now were technically the gods and himself. But until Seth got here that was all he had to feed anyway, so...With a mental shrug, he descended past the sanctuary to the kitchens and living quarters that served the priests who lived here. They would have taken all the food they could carry, but chances were good that they had left the stores untouched.

He was right and wrong. They had plundered the stores but not completely, and there was enough there to keep himself comfortably for a while, along with whoever made it back here. The city of bread lived up to its nickname still, it seemed. He sincerely hoped it was more rather than less, and that they wouldn't have to be here long.

Starting a fire, he mixed water with barley flour and lard to make simple cakes, washing his hands after he set them to bake on the hearth. A crock of honey would add the perfect touch to them if he could find it.

A bit of rummaging found his treasure, and the Pharaoh smiled to himself. A crock of honey and all his! Atem had a weakness for the sweet liquid, and it was always in demand at the palace. Especially on barley cakes and fermented as a sweet dessert beverage. But only rarely did he allow himself to avail himself of it like this, straight. If he ate it as often as he would like, he'd probably be as fat as a corrupt priest. With a small evil giggle he cracked the wax seal and dipped a finger in, licking it greedily. Yum. Feeling rather like a boy who had stolen the the jar, Atem hefted it up and carried it to the hearth, checking on his cakes.

They were still cooking, so he left the honey by them and walked to the pump, deciding to bathe. It was warm enough with the fire to do so after all, and the lingering heat of the day. So he stripped off his Pharaonic finery and ragged shenti, stepping into the cool water of the wide sink with a sigh. Nice thing about being so small, he could bathe in a dishwashing sink. There were no oils here, but he was happy just to be clean.

He wet sand and scrubbed it over tanned skin, digging out the grime of battle and the stink of sweat, blood and smoke. When that was done he ran it through his thick hair, scrubbing. Days like this made him just want to shave it all off – it would be cooler – but no wigmaker could make a duplicate and he had to confess to a certain vanity in the exotic colours. Though, there was no time for vanity now. They were at war.

The thought stole the hedonistic pleasure from his bath and Atem sighed, stepping from the makeshift tub and using his shenti to sponge the worst of the water off himself. He let his thick hair dribble water down his back, rinsing it a final time before scrubbing the worst of the dirt out of the ragged linen. It really wasn't meant for this kind of abuse. Draping the cloth up to dry, he paced back to the fire and poked the cakes to see if they were done.

They were, so he dribbled honey on them and ate quickly, washing it down with watered beer. There wasn't much in the stores, so they would have to be chary with it and his skills in the kitchen didn't extend to the brewing of beer.

His belly full, Atem leaned back and watched the flames, trying not to brood. Seth should have been here, shouldn't he? Granted Atem had a head start and one man travelled more lightly than and army. Still, as the light through the high windows faded he started to really worry.

Rising, he threw more wood on the flames and draped his cape around his hips as a makeshift shenti. It was almost sunset; he could say the rites to Atum, which would both keep his mind off fretting and bring the blessing of the god of the sunset and creation on them, hopefully.

Taking the last barley-cake, he padded barefoot out of the kitchen and through the priest's barracks to the outer sanctuary.

The sun was just setting, visible through the open front of the sanctuary, when Atem emerged. He bowed to the setting sun, then turned and paced to the forbidden inner court where the God's home was. Not that anyone could forbid the Living Horus into any sanctuary; he was after all supposed to be the link between Egypt and the gods. Not that Atem believed it really – after all, shouldn't a living god have been able to stop Zorc?

Shaking his head, he bowed before pacing into the dim enclosure. Atum was the god of the primordial mound and the setting sun, and Atem's namestake. His sanctuary was dark, with only the one high window to illuminate it. He bowed again, then glanced around for the statue. To his shock, the alcove was set not with a filler statue but the true cult statue, still dressed in fine linens and with offerings at his feet. The Pharaoh paused, then paced over to study the painted stone. The god's statue should have gone with the priests... why was it here? Respectfully he knelt and chanted the prayers of welcome and respect. It wasn't the same as it would be with the priests here, and he added the chant asking forgiveness for that. Laying the cake down as an offering, Atem bowed three times and sang the hymn of the Setting Sun in his honour. Not that he was a terrific singer, but he did his best, and the god would appreciate the effort if not the effect.

The last sliver of the sun winked down over the horizon as Atem trilled the final note of the hymn, leaning back on his knees to simply enjoy the quiet. He rather enjoyed his times in the sanctuaries; the gods weren't known for bothering mortals much unless they were annoyed and the priests usually had other duties to attend to, which left Atem in the dark and the quiet where he felt the most comfortable. It was then that sometimes he thought he felt the gods; not in the elaborate ceremonies that called and honoured them but in the quiet afterwards.

The darkness settled around him like a cloak and he closed his eyes, humming under his breath. He let his worries for his cousin and people go, giving them to the God. For a moment, it almost felt like the shadows were whispering to him, and then he felt a sudden, strange surge of power. Opening his eyes he looked up, and almost fainted when he saw the great statue moving. His namestake god looked down at him, his features carved into a semblance of wisdom and knowledge beyond mortal ken. The linen of his shenti whispered as he stepped down from the dais. In one hand he held the _was_ staff of strength, in the other the _ankh_ of life. The Pharaoh trembled as the god paced towards him. "I have heard your need, Son of Ra, and have come to offer you the aid you require. But the price will be great."

"The price...?" Atem managed to stammer out.

"Yes. It will be heavy, Son of Ra, and you must bear it alone."

"I understand." It was after all the duty of the king to stand between danger and his land. "Tell me what I must do."

Atem woke to the warmth of full day and a hand on his shoulder, shaking him. "Atem, for the love of the gods, wake." Seth snapped irritably.

"Seth?" Atem blinked slowly, then his dream came back to him and he sat up with a start. The statue in the alcove stared down at them impassively and Atem shivered. "How long have you been here?"

"We got in an hour before sunrise. It wasn't a fun trip and the men are resting now. What are you doing sleeping in here?"

"I made the sunset offering and Atum answered." He wrapped his slender arms around himself. Even in the warmth of the day he was cold... so cold. "He told me how to stop Zorc."

"How?"

"I must break the Millennium Puzzle, and trap Zorc within." He didn't mention the price to be paid for such magic, that he himself would be trapped with the dark one; his ka would not fly to the afterworld, his ba would be lost, with no body to inhabit. His very name would be lost to time. Only his shadow would remain, locked in eternal combat with the god. "He will be trapped there until the Puzzle is solved. And you, cousin.. you must rid Khemet of all references to me and to the shadow magics."

Seth glowered down at him. "Why must I do that?" 

"It's the only way to be sure that the dark one is never freed again."

Seth's frown grew deeper, but he offered Atem a hand up. "Is that all? Simply break the Puzzle?"

Not really. "No, but the rite must be performed by me alone. You and the army will have to keep Zorc from breaking in here to stop it. If he does, or if his thief minion takes the Puzzle, then the country and our world is doomed." The pharaoh shivered, dark dreams echoing in his mind. The god had shown him the world if this did not succeed. It was not a pleasant sight – chaos and darkness, ruled over by a mad god and his pawns. "Priest Aknaudin is leading them."

"What?" Seth stepped back, startled. "He's turned traitor..."

"Not exactly. I think he's been possessed." Which made him wonder about the evil god's other pawn; was the thief possessed as well? Could all this have been prevented if he had investigated earlier, or taken more seriously the thief's accusations and not simply treated him like a meaningless attacker.

Too late now... "And Seth?"

"Yes, my Pharaoh?"

"Make certain that the Items are never used again." Atem straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. "I will begin the ritual right away... there is food in the kitchens, and a bit of beer. Make sure the men refresh themselves."

Seth opened his mouth but then closed it again. When Atem took that tone, he wasn't his younger cousin. He was the king of the largest empire in the world, and his word was law. "As you command, my Pharaoh."

Atem watched him leave. He didn't like ordering Seth around like that – it seemed disrespectful somehow, as odd as that sounded. But in this case, he didn't want Seth interfering. Odd as it was in a priest, Seth would defy an edict from Ra himself if his heart told him it was wrong. Atem respected him for that, for the sheer self will that allowed him to serve the gods and the people but still be himself so fiercely. In this case though... nothing and no one could be allowed to interfere.

He wouldn't do it here either. The inner sanctum of a god's temple wasn't the right place. He wanted to see the sun as he died.

That in mind, he paced down to the kitchen hearth and dressed himself in his now dry shenti and the jewels and gold of his position. Nor was it vanity that prompted him to do so; there were protective sigils worked into his crown, his bracelets, the heavy broadcollar, his earrings and even woven into the ragged hem of his shenti. He would need all the help he could get to keep it together long enough for him to finish the rite by himself.

That done, he made his way back outside and paused, then cursed. South, on the horizon, he could see the black clouds forming. Zorc was coming... his darkness blotted out the very light of Ra. "Seth!"

His high priest appeared as though by magic, his face grim. "I see it. We won't be able to hold him back for long, but we'll give you the time you need."

"Blessings of the gods be with you." Atem murmured, touching his shoulder, before dashing off towards the area behind the temple sanctuary. It was hard to get to, and other than the cattle runs there was only one way to get in and out. With luck, Atem would have the time he needed.

It was a chilling thought that the world could rely on simple luck. Atem forced himself to run faster, skidding to a halt in the open area of the cattle pens. Abandoned now of the sacred bulls, they would give him the room he needed to work the rite.

It would have to be quick and dirty. Atem paced a circle over the dusty ground, chanting under his breath a prayer to Isis and Wadjet, for protection and guidance. Shadows swirled up under his feet, echoing the circle. That done, he knelt in the middle and spoke the rites of purification. His fingers trailed through the dust, forming symbols in the magical language of the priests, said to have been invented by Thoth.

"_Isis, great in power spread your wings over me. You have sent scorpions against my enemies; you have guarded my throne. Your magic fills me with determination. _

_Thoth great in knowledge guide my hand; you have touched your power to my tongue; you have borne the words of magic and poured them out over me. Your knowledge guides my hands and heart._

_Atum of the sunset, great in power, you have given me your name. You strike my enemies with your terrible breath, and with a gust of your nostrils have destroyed them. You have given me the power to do your will._

_Set great in strength, you have raised the sands against my enemies. Your arm reaches over the land to smite the enemies of Ra my father. You have given me your strength to defeat my enemies."_

Atem intoned the prayers and invocations, feeling the power of the gods around and inside him.

Looking up he could see the shadows growing longer, stronger. Hurry, the wind seemed to whisper as it picked up dust and swirled it around him. Hurry... 

He finished the preparations and stood in the middle of the circle, letting the humming feel of magic soothe him. Carefully taking the Puzzle of Unity from his neck, he raised it over his head and started to sing.

The clamour of battle, men and horses screaming, drifted to him on the freshening wind. How could they travel so fast? And where was the thief? Atem poured his power into the rising spell, watching the Puzzle start to strain as his magic pushed at it. He would have to hold it like this until the magic literally imploded. The trick of course wasn't in shattering the sacred Puzzle, but in trapping Zorc within. Which meant he had to link to the other Items, especially the Ring that the thief had won from Mahaado.

He closed his eyes and breathed, in and out. Breathe in power, breathe out tension, one after another. When he was ready the Pharaoh spread his hands and tendrils of power lashed out, vanishing much closer than they should have. A cry of pain and outrage heralded the sudden and unexpected appearance of the Thief King himself, not ten cubits from where Atem stood in his circle. His monster roared in tandem, appearing as well. Atem's magic latched onto the Ring and around the white haired man. A second, weaker line jumped from Ba'Khura into the darkness beyond; Atem had to hope it was the link to Zorc. His fingers clasped the glowing Puzzle, white hot metal burning into his fingers as he wrestled the magic into place.

"PHARAOH!" It was a howl of rage and madness, Ba'Khura struggling to get free of the holy magic wrapping tightly around him. Atem ignored him, his limbs ablaze with pain as he burned his ba into pure power. The agony drowned out the mere physical pain of the magic consuming his body. The chant never wavered, the strength of his _kau_ holding him steady. One by one they appeared, only to have their spirits consumed by the divine fire that blazed around Atem, bright as Ra come to earth. Obelisk first, the stone monster cracking and dissolving into blue dust that joined the wild dance around the magic circle. The Sky Dragon next, roaring defiance as red and electric blue sparks erupted from him. Finally only the Winged Dragon remained, gold and pure as the sun, Atem held between his great paws.

Then the Puzzle shattered and the magic imploded in on itself, the gold pieces scattering around Atem like confetti. He never knew it though... his red eyes were empty and blank as the imploding magic consumed his body, soul and finally his name, leaving only his shadow, wrapped around Zorc like a vine, trapping a portion of his essence in the endless labyrinth.

* * *

Seth stood defiant against the darkness, directing the few remaining soldiers as he prayed that his cousin would succeed. There was no sign of the thief, but at the head of the army of undead that marched towards them the priest could see Aknaudin, High Priest no more. Now he was an avatar of Zorc.

The winds of magic carried the monstrosity that had been the holder of the Eye past the soldier and down to the plaza where Seth stood. "Son."

Blue eyes narrowed. "You are no father of mine. My father would have died honourably in service to Khemet and the Pharaoh before he allowed himself to become what you have."

"You don't understand..." the man gestured outward with both hands. Seth could no longer see his face; only the Eye remained, staring at him from a white empty mask. Black robes replaced white, and a heavy cloak covered over all. "I did this for you! You will be Pharaoh! You see? I did this so that you would have the throne I never had!"

"You're a fool." Seth spat. "I never wanted the throne, old man. The Pharaoh and I had a perfectly good system... he ruled and between Shimon and I we actually ran things. You think I would WANT to be Pharaoh? No... I'd be a terrible ruler. I'm the power in the shadows, you old fool, and now thanks to this Atem has made me his heir. I'm Crown Prince now... and you had nothing to do with it!"

"But..." Aknaudin dropped his arms, obviously confused. Seth kept up his verbal attack – he could see that with the other concentrating on his words, he undead army was faltering.

"You became a traitor, you gave up your soul. . . and all for what? For a dream I never wanted, and certainly not at that price. Be honest. It was not for me you wanted the golden throne. You were younger twin... you always wanted to be Pharaoh! Instead your brother became Pharaoh and that rankled you. It twisted you... made you bitter and greedy. Fool! You could have been like me; the true power of Khemet is not in the throne but in the priesthood!"

"You're the fool! Kowtowing to that foolish child of my brother's! It is you who do not understand true power, my son... the true power of the shadows, and that of the gods. Not political power, but the power to rule the world!" He gestured again and shadows leapt, swirling around him. "Join me, join my lord Zorc! You will be Pharaoh over all the world and our rule will never die!"

Seth held up the Rod. 'Hurry, cousin...' he thought as he spoke. "Never. You will not succeed here, old man. We will stop you."

"Hardly. By now the thief will have the Puzzle and put a knife through your precious Pharaoh's heart. Clever of my master to convince him that it was my brother who ordered his village put to the sword to hide the genesis of the artefacts of Darkness, rather than myself."

Now it was Seth who was stunned. "You mean the thief spoke true? His village was slaughtered to make these...?" He gestured with the Rod.

"Oh yes. Ninety nine souls sacrificed to the Shadows to power them and to open the gateway to Zorc's realm. But I couldn't have any witnesses. So I ordered the men my brother had sent with me to make sure that there were none. Their deaths, the pain and anguish of it, only added to their power. My innocent brother, the trusting fool, never asked the price of Khemet's salvation. He took the Puzzle I gave him and never realized that it would feed on his soul as the price of it's power. He died from it... and now his son will die."

Seth made a gesture of warding. "I want nothing to do with such evil." With a flick of his wrist, he cast the Rod to the ground and raised empty hands to his father. "I will depend on my own strength to defeat you."

"Then you're more a fool than I dreamed, my son." The Eye flared and lashed out. Seth gestured, tracing a symbol in the air as he spoke a single sharp word. The attack burst against the barrier he had raised but didn't shatter, crawling along the invisible sphere. The shadows were only visible to a mage, but to Seth's eyes they were dark black and seeped in evil, their darkness a corruption that ate at his holy magic. He spoke another word and the shield flared, throwing his father's attack away. "Set, lend me your strength." he prayed. He only had to hold out long enough for Atem to finish the ritual.

"Give in to the darkness." Another attack; Seth flinched back as this one dug in and tore his shield to shreds. "You can't defeat it. You can only give in."

"Never." Seth traced another sigil in the air and dove aside as the former priest attacked again, shadow lancing through the air where he had been. The symbol glowed and then flared, bright as the sun to dispel the shadows.

"Your magic is paltry." Aknaudin mocked. "No son of mine should ever be so weak." The Eye glowed again as Seth braced himself, hands wide and ready to grab. He wished he had a sword; he'd see if the darkness would protect the old man against three palms of bronze in his guts. Instead he dodged again as the Eye lashed out. He'd always been fast on his feet; now that dexterity was going to save his life.

Aknaudin made an audible sound of anger, though it was impossible to tell his emotions otherwise. He spread his arms wide and this time instead of a bolt, a wave of shadows hurtled towards Seth. It picked the priest up and threw him hard against the stone of the Temple, stunning him. With a gasp he dropped to the ground, all the wind knocked out of what felt like a set of broken ribs. Faintly over the screams of the men and the howl of the wind, he thought he could hear cries and cursing from behind him... behind the Temple. He looked up to see the dark priest pacing towards him. The older man stopped to pick up the Rod, then continued his steady pace towards Seth. "Now, you will accept your destiny."

Seth raised his hands in a last ditch defence, but Aknaudin stopped in mid pace, head jerking up. Spears of red-wreathed shadow lanced into the Eye seemingly from the Temple itself. Aknaudin screamed and clenched at his head; he ripped the mask off to reveal a horror, the skin of his face shrunken and cut, weeping blood and pus. His formerly good eye was gone, leaving only an open gaping socket. Seth pushed himself upright against the walls, unable to look away as the dark priest tried to pull the Eye out of his face, his voice rising in an obscene scream of agony. The golden Rod clattered to the ground; Aknaudin went to his knees as another lance of power arced from him to the dark god in his cloud of shadows.

And not just from him; Seth saw six other lances in six different colours of shadow pierce Zorc. The god screamed, his obscene dragon-headed phallus thrashing as he tried to pull away the beams. They clung to him though, and slowly his body started to dissolve into oily black smoke that collected and streamed along the beams to the Items. Seth got a good look at two of them, one to the Eye and one to the Rod. Aknaudin's screamed filled the air as his body slowly collapsed inward, finally dissolving into a pile of black cloth and hair. The Eye rolled out along the stone, finally coming to a rest beside the Rod. Both gleamed with an unholy radiance that made Seth's skin crawl. Sliding off his tunic, he tossed it over the golden artefacts and scooped them up, tying them into the makeshift bag.

The undead army dissolved into sand and shadow, and Ra's light started to burn through the dark shroud that cursed the land. Seth sighed; that had to mean that Atem had succeeded, and that now the dark god was trapped forever in the cursed items.

Dreading what he would find, but knowing he had to go, Seth walked towards the back of the temple, the cheers of the men ringing in his ears, to see what sacrifice the gods had taken for victory.

In the back stockyard, Seth found a strange mass of objects scattered around a circle burned black on the ground. Gold glittered – the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle, Atem's jewellery, and off to one side in a pile of red and black cloth, the Millennium Ring shone with the same malign glitter that marked the other Items. Of Atem's body, there was no sign. Seth clenched the bag in his hands; he didn't even have a body to bury. All he has was a broken country, and Atem's last wish.

"You have my word, cousin." He heard soldiers behind him and turned. "The Son of Ra has become Osiris." the new king of the two lands proclaimed. "Let the word be spread; he died to save us all."

------Glossary--------

Egyptian terms:

**Shenti**: A lightweight wrap made of linen. Ubiquitous garb of Ancient Egyptian men, worn by everyone from the Pharaoh on down.

**Annu**: Egyptian name for the ancient city and cult centre known in Greek as Heliopolis (lit. City of the Sun). It has been occupied for millennia and was a centre of sun worship. For more information, Wikipedia has a very informative entry: .org/wiki/Annu

**Ankh**: Ancient Egyptian lit. meaning 'eternal life'. Symbolized by a symbol resembling an English 'T' with a loop at the top and often held by gods and pharaohs in art of the time.

**Was**: (Lit. 'power')Ancient Egyptian staff with a stylized animal head at the top and a forked base that symbolized power and control over the forces of chaos. Associated with the god Set.

**Pharaoh**: Anglicised version of the Greek and Latin term 'pharao', which is a version of the Egyptian term pr-'3 (paro, more or less). Literally refers to the palace of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, used as a formal title for the king from the mid-eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties.

**Khemet**: from km.t, the ancient Egyptian word for their land.

**Duat**: Ancient Egyptian realm of the underworld, chaos and demons.

**Ineb Hedj**: Ancient Egyptian name for the capital city of Memphis, lit. "The White Walls".

**Cubit**: (more properly _mahe _ or royal cubit) Unit of measurement used in antiquity. In Ancient Egypt, it was about 52.3 cm (Approx 20.6 inches) long.


	2. Chapter 2

**Shadow Wars**

By: Silvershadowfire

Rating: R (Adult concepts and language)

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not make money from it. Characters from YuGiOh aren't mine: everyone else is. The plot is mine and the AU world in which it's set.

Author's Note on Japanese usage: I am keeping certain words and terms in Japanese rather than translating them; primarily proper terms of address and terms such as honorifics that have subtleties lost when you translate them into English.

Chapter 1 ~ Light in the Darkness

The clouds scuttled across the waxing moon, the air chill and crisp with autumn's touch. Footsteps splashed through puddles left by the storms, the wind cutting through the air. Yuugi Mutou dashed around the corner, feet beating an irregular tattoo on the pavement. It was already after midnight; his mother was going to be furious. But her scolding would be worth it; one hand patted the safe inner pocket that held his prize. If he could get back to his home without being mugged...

Yuugi glanced either way before he slowed to catch his breath. Though he was short, barely hitting 5'2" and looked like a 10 year old, the 15 year old was in very good shape. Having to run from bullies helped, though the bullies weren't nearly as bad as the gangs. Water dripped from a fire escape onto his wild, spiked black hair, sliding down the golden bangs that half obscured his brown eyes and softly rounded features. He shook it away, ears cocked. In this part of Domino, the streets were quiet so late; the moon-washed streets gave the illusion that he was the only person alive in the world. Quiet.. the world was so quiet. It was a strange feeling in crowded Japan.

His harsh breathing had eased and his heart no longer beat so wildly, so Yuugi straightened and started walking briskly towards his home. The lull wouldn't last long, and he was late enough as it was. Good thing tomorrow was Saturday; he'd never get his homework done on time otherwise.

He slowed a moment, listening, and then picked up his pace when he heard footsteps. Almost home... he could see the dim lights of the Game Shop and the street light outside of it. This wasn't the best part of town, and with his grandfather's little shop being blackballed by Kaiba Corp. the chances of them being able to move to a better part of town were slim and getting slimmer. Damn Kaiba Seto; the teenage billionaire might be in his class, but that didn't make any difference to his plans for the Kame Game Shop. In his ice-cold mind, you were either exclusively KC or you were shut down.

Shaking his head so that his blonde bangs swung almost violently, Yuugi covered the last few yards to his home and slipped to the back door, opening it as quietly as he could. Not to sneak in, but to keep from waking his grandfather. Jiichan worked long and hard to keep the shop going, far harder than a man his age should have to. Closing the door behind him, Yuugi slipped off his boots and toed on slippers, taking his prize from the inner pocket of his jacket before hanging it up in the closet. The air was a little chilly even inside, the heat turned down to husband energy.

Another sin to lay at Kaiba's door, Yuugi suspected though of course nothing could be proven; his father worked overseas in America, for a big oil company as a geologist. Then he had been 'downsized'; he'd managed to find another position, but the money was less than half of what he'd earned before and so he had almost nothing to send home to support his wife and son. Hard times... but times were hard all around in Domino, and in most of Japan after the economic collapse. Only Kaiba Corp and it's ruthless teen-aged CEO seemed to be thriving.

"Yuugi-chan?" The lights in the living room were on, and silhouetted in the doorway stood his mother. Tall and slender, dressed in a simple shirt and skirt, she was still an attractive woman, funny and tender.

"Kaa-chan." He smiled up at her tiredly. "I'm home... sorry to be so late."

Worry and concern chased themselves over her features as she paced over to hug him. "I was worried sick. Do you know what time it is?"

"Mmhmm." Weary, he closed his eyes and leaned against her. "I'm sorry, but it was worth it. I got it."

"Got..." She stroked her son's spiky hair, making a sound of displeasure as her fingers crackled through layers of gel. "What did you get?"

"Enough to pay the mortgage this month, and the electrical too." Yuugi held up the crumpled ball of yen. "I know gambling's illegal, but I couldn't let the shop close down. Tou-san said I was supposed to take care of you."

"Oh Yuugi-chan... that was so dangerous." Soft hands held him close. "What if they had decided to kill you for taking their money? I'm glad you're okay, but promise me you won't do that again."

Yuugi pulled back slightly, looking up at her, and opened his mouth. She must have read his features, because her finger came to rest on his lips. "Promise me. I don't want you putting yourself in danger, and Jii-chan would have had a heart attack if he knew where you were. You know his health isn't the best."

"That's why I had to do it." Following Jounouchi and Honda had been a gamble in itself, but he knew the two gang-bangers in his class would lead him to where he needed to go. "He's working too hard."

The money was gently taken from his hand. "He is. But he would not want you to put yourself in danger."

"I wasn't going to tell him." Yuugi hugged her again. "There's no jobs out there for adults, Kaa-chan. At least this doesn't hurt anyone who can't spare the money." Illegal yes, but not criminal. A fine definition and probably not one to impress the cops if he were ever caught. Still, since most of the money came from drugs, weapons and extortion it could and would be put to a better use in his hands. No one could afford to be proud right now.

A sigh and his mother closed her eyes, holding him tightly. "Promise me at least you won't do this often. I know you're good with games and puzzles, but..."

"I won't." Yuugi murmured and hugged her again. "I should get to sleep. Jiichan will want help in the shop tomorrow."

"Rest well, and try to sleep in." His mother laid a kiss on his forehead. "And take a shower, you reek of cigarettes."

"Yes'm." He smiled and reached up on tiptoe to kiss her cheek before turning and heading up to his room. He really hated making her worry. Nevertheless, he knew that he would continue to do so if he had to.

With a sigh Yuugi pushed open the door and stepped inside, turning on the lamp by the door. His attic room held only two small lamps for night time, one here and one by his bed. Most of the light came from the skylights in the tilted ceiling during the day. Games stacked neatly in one corner, puzzles in another, and several posters covered the soft green paint of the walls. He stretched and slipped out of his red T shirt, throwing it into the pile of dirty clothes in one corner as he toed off his white socks and buried bare feet into the thick dark green pile carpet. Dark bruises showed on the pale skin of his torso, most of them already greening with age. Sometimes he wasn't quick enough... at least no broken bones this time.

Grabbing pyjamas and clean underwear, the teenager slipped to the bathroom and peeled out of his black jeans. He hadn't dared to wear his school uniform out gambling; it would be child's play for the people whose money he had won to track him down and 'ask' for it back if he had.

Turning on the hot water, Yuugi stepped into the shower and ducked his head under the stream, shampoo and busy fingers washing the gel out of his long hair. He'd worn it spiked up tonight to further disguise himself; normally it hung thick and full around his cherubic features.

That done, he scrubbed his body carefully, looking for signs that he might actually be hitting puberty sometime this decade. It really was terribly annoying to be mistaken for an elementary school student all the time. Fingers brushed over a fresh bruise and he hissed under his breath; that one was more tender than usual. He must have gotten hit there twice or something.

The water dripped as he turned it off, sluicing the excess off with his hands before stepping from the tub and scrubbing dry. Now that he was warm fatigue fogged his brain and drew a jaw cracking yawn from him. He didn't want to think any more, he just wanted to sleep. His thick warm pyjamas felt wonderful over clean damp skin, and the soft scent of the fabric softener made him yawn. Taking two ibuprofen, the teen stumbled from the bathroom to his room, barely managing to pull the covers over himself before sleep carried him far away.

* * *

The distant sound of ocean waves crashing into rocks broke the silence of the castle where it's owner sat on a wide stone deck, breeze playing in his shoulder-length silver hair and ruffling the pages of his book. One hand held a glass of fine red wine and the other ran fingers along the symbols etched into ancient papyrus. Darker blue than the sea crashing below, his right eye squinted closed against the glare of bright sunlight on the magically preserved surface. But then he didn't need that one to read the secrets hidden within. In the left socket a glowing golden artefact shimmered with more than reflected light, the eldrich glow seeming to emanate a spectral wind that pushed silver strands of hair out of his way. Pegasus J. Crawford, the American multimillionaire owner of Industrial Illusions, sipped his wine and allowed the meaning of the symbols in the tome to come to his mind through the magic of his Millennium Eye. It was written not in a true language to be translated, which was why everyone else had failed. Somewhere between a cypher and a vast riddle that could drown the reader in confusion and darkness, this book, like the fictional tome of the Neverending Story, was not meant for the weak of mind or heart. This book was not 'safe'.

He had been through this before... all of this. There was nothing new here, no matter how often he scanned the ancient book. No idea who the Chosen One would be, no clue to where or when he or she would be born. Setting the glass down on the side table with a quiet clink, Pegasus leaned back and opened his human eye, letting the power of the artefact embedded in his skull die down.

Fifteen people. Fifteen people had won the contests he'd set up around the world, hoping for anyone with the skill to solve the unsolvable puzzle. Genius wasn't enough; it was only an indicator. It took a special kind of genius, indomitable will and vast power of spirit to bond with the soul of the Nameless Pharaoh.

Fifteen people had tried, all unknowing. Fifteen people were now dead or insane, their souls consumed by the endless power of the Pharaoh and the Puzzle that was his symbol and his prison. Fifteen souls for which Pegasus knew he would have to answer, someday. If not to the Pharaoh who he sought, then to the gods who ruled the next world, no matter what shape they took.

The sun shimmered in the warm blue of the sky, gentle here as it never was in Egypt, that harsh land of deserts and forgotten gods. He could still feel the breeze over the green Delta, hear the din and reek of Cairo. Pegasus still remembered the day that he found the key to the curse that bound his beloved Cyndia into a deathlike trance. Not alive, not dead, her soul lost in the endless darkness where monsters lurked.

One hand came up, touching the golden weight of the Eye. Almost as heavy and dark as the guilt which burdens his spirit, the grief that never left his heart. It still ached, after all these years.

Pushing aside the tome with his memories, Pegasus rose to his feet and paced inside, his slippered feet making little slapping noises on the stone. Nubbed silk pants and a burgundy smoking jacket guarded him from the omnipresent chill of the castle's walls. It was no wonder really that people had died of lung infections in these things... even the heated pipes built into the walls and floors only kept the atmosphere bearable. Still, Pegasus felt the affectation worth it, since the island and it's stone fortress gave him the absolute privacy he needed for his experiments and trials. If the media got wind of this... With a shake of his long hair, the American paced through his bedroom to the guarded room beyond, the Eye flashing as he waved his hand to remove the illusion that turned the door into simple stone. It creaked open under his hands and the lights inside flared up of their own accord; cantrips, really, once he'd mastered the power of the Millennium Eye. Still for all it's power he could only see that which was denied him.

One hand reached down, touching the delicate features of his beloved wife. Fair Cyndia, more beautiful than the sun and moon, her laughter bright and joy incarnate. His muse, and the love of his life. "Ah... you would not be happy with me, would you my darling?" he asked of the body trapped in her hell of half life. Eyes closed, arms arranged delicately at her side, lips parted... like the Sleeping Beauty of the tales she seemed only to need her true love's kiss to wake. His fingers slid through the masses of her blonde hair, like Rapunzel's endless waves of gold. "I cannot ask you to forgive me, my rose." he murmured. "I do this for you... only and always for you. If I can see your eyes again, like shining, living sapphire, then I would be content even in Hell." His hand drifted to the gold band on her delicate finger, the one that matched his own. Only a week married... only a week before the curse had struck her down.

His good eye closed, a single tear sliding down his cheek. Five years it had been, five years of hunting and seeking, five years until he had found the man who had cast his power on her after she spurned his bed. Pegasus regretted still his actions that day; in his naivety he thought that killing him would break the spell. Only then did he seek to find out the cause of the curse; an ancient one formed of hatred and jealously and twisted ancient Egyptian magic. So to Egypt he had gone to find the cure... and had found Shadi.

"Damn the man." he murmured, the closest to profanity he would utter in Cyndia's presence. To give him the power to see her soul trapped in the shadows and yet never to touch her... Pegasus both hated and blessed that vision. It kept him going, when he thought he would go mad...

"Forgive me, my rose." he murmured, kneeling by her bower like the prince from the tales. "I wish I could find the door for you. Please hold on, my sweet. Your Pegasus is coming for you." Raising her cold hand he pressed his lips to it, and then bowed his head to bury it in her golden tresses.

"Master Pegasus?"

The voice of his trusted manservant broke through the weight of Pegasus' grief slowly. "What is it Croquet?"

The man stepped closer, his shoes hard on the stone. "There is a new winner."

A sound escaped as he lifted his head. Only Croquet was permitted in here, and only he knew the man that lay behind the façade he showed the world. "Where?"

"Domino, Japan. A high school student named Yuugi Mutou."

Pegasus' hands clenched in Cyndia's hair. A child... a teenager. No older perhaps than he had been when he had determined to marry his lover. Would his be another life destroyed, another soul to bear with him to his judgement, or would this be the one, the chosen one who would finally solve the unsolvable puzzle? Could he bear it if a youth died in his quest for love?

He turned to look at Cyndia's face, peaceful in repose. "Forgive me." he whispered again, and rose to face Croquet. Only the tracks of tears from his good eye betrayed his emotions as he met the other man's sunglass-shrouded gaze and nodded. "Then send him the Puzzle."

Maybe this time he would win.

* * *

School. The rain poured down on Domino as though it could wash the city clean of its sins, the torrents of water enough to strain even the omnipresent umbrellas that the students held as they emerged from the halls of Domino High School and onto the streets, swarms of teenagers in blue uniforms for the boys and blue and pink for the girls. Yuugi pulled his street shoes out of his locker and slipped off the school shoes, tucking them inside. A moment later his umbrella joined them as he looked around for his childhood friend, Mazaki Anzu.

The pretty brunet stood over with a gaggle of her friends, all of them gossiping as girls were wont to do. Yuugi smiled and watched them. Anzu was his closest, and in fact only friend. She lived next door to the Game Shop with her parents, who ran a shop that catered to the tourist industry. It had been natural that they would play together as children, since their families were so close and both in business.

He watched her toss her hair, arms crossing gracefully as her features took on the familiar stubborn look that meant she was arguing a point, her dancer's legs shifting under the blue skirt. Blue eyes flashed as one of the other boys made a comment and she shot one back, so full of life and verve. As his runners splashed through the puddles in the courtyard, he wondered if her parents were still pushing her to marry him when they came of age. That would be so weird.

"Out of the way runt." Yuugi didn't see the taller student until it was too late. A shove from Ushio sent him sprawling in the puddles, rainwater soaking into his uniform. Titters of laughter sounded from different directions as he pushed himself up from the ground. Rain flattened his hair against his skull and face, hiding the flush of shame as he managed to get to his feet again.

"Yuugi-kun, are you okay?"

Looking up as the rain suddenly ceased to pound on him, he found Anzu watching him with a concerned look in her blue eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine." He gave the other a sunny smile, ignoring the shivering of his now chilled body as the wind seemed to cut right through his soaked clothing.

"If you're sure... that Ushio! He's such a bully. Even the teachers don't stand up to him. Cowards."

"Shhh..." he ducked his head and rounded his shoulders, waving his hands for her to be quieter. "You don't want him to hear you."

The brunet glared after the retreating teen, two years older and four times as large as Yuugi. But she also lowered her voice. "You have to stand up for yourself Yuugi, or you're going to get walked on."

"Anzu-chan..." he sighed and ducked his head again, finger combing his wet bangs out of his eyes. "You know I don't like to fight."

She glanced down at him again, and her gaze softened. "I know. Are we still going to your place?"

"Yep." Yuugi smiled softly up at her and ignored the titters from the other students, especially the girls of the 'in crowd'.

Anzu didn't; she gave them a defiant look and took Yuugi's arm. "Let's go." She only paused to let him gather up his fallen bag and umbrella before leading them out of the school yard and into the street. "Ignore them, Yuugi-kun."

"It's okay, Anzu-chan. I know you're my friend, and it's even nicer that you are still my friend when they laugh at you for it."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." The pretty brunet smiled, her blue eyes soft. "You're my best friend."

The smaller teen's cheeks turned pink again, and it wasn't just the bite of the air. "Anzu-chan..."

She laughed softly and ruffled his silky hair. "You're cute when you blush, Yuugi-kun."

They walked in silence for a while, except for the steady beating of rain on fabric and the splashing of their footsteps. It was Yuugi who broke it as they crossed the street. "Have you heard from that dance school, Anzu-chan?"

"No... but the letter might not even have gotten to America yet." Anzu's gaze turned distant. "I will get there though. I was even thinking of getting an after-school job to raise money for it. Living by myself in New York isn't going to be cheap after all and my parents can't support me AND their business too."

Yuugi's smile softened and turned brighter, despite the chill. Anzu was so strong and practical too. He frankly admired her, and envied her outgoing personality. "After-school jobs aren't allowed by school rules, Anzu-chan. You could get in trouble."

"Well..." She winked at him. "I talked to my mom about it and she said that it was okay with her. What the school doesn't know they can't expel me for, right? As long as I keep my grades up, it should be okay."

"That's great! You'll have to let me know where you get a job so I can come see." Yuugi wished her the best of luck. She was pretty, smart and graceful. Likely someone would hire her even part time. No running around after hours in illegal gambling dens for her! Here and now, in the bright light of day, Yuugi could scarce believe that he'd had the courage to do it. It was almost like another person, a braver and stronger version of himself who had done that.

The game shop was open, his grandfather working the front. Yuugi pushed open the door. "Jii-chan, I'm home!"

"Welcome home." Mutou Sugoroku greeted from behind the counter where he was pricing a stack of new games. "Hello Anzu-chan." The older man smirked appreciatively, his gaze lingering on the girl's bust line. "Still growing I see."

"Jii-chan..." Yuugi blushed. His grandfather was such a hentai old man. He tucked the umbrella into a stand by the door where it could drip dry. "We'll be upstairs. Can we have some snacks?"

"Of course." Sugoroku ruffled his grandson's hair as he let them through the shop to the living area behind. Anzu playfully swatted at a groping hand as she slid her shoes off and followed Yuugi up the stairs.

"Your mom's not home?"

"No... she had to take a job after Tou-san got fired. It's really wearing her out... I try to help out with the chores after school, and stuff."

"Aww." Anzu smiled. "You're such a sweet person Yuugi. Almost too sweet to be real." Her laughter bubbled up as the smaller teen blushed again. "Now if you weren't as much a hentai as your grandfather..."

"Anzu-chan..." He paused mid-lament as he opened his bedroom door. "What's this?" A package had been set on his bed, dark brown against the blue bedspread like a squat square Kuriboh. He padded over and picked it up, looking at it. "It's heavy... from Industrial Illusions?" Hope brightened in his brown eyes. "Oh wow..."

"Isn't that the company who sponsored that contest you entered a few weeks back?" Anzu asked curiously.

"Yep." He shook it and something faintly rattled. "Wow, I wonder what I won?"

"Probably the grand prize!" Anzu sat on the bed and nudged him. "Go on, open it, I want to see!"

Yuugi laughed and tore open the tape holding it closed. Inside, he pulled out a wad of packing paper, and a small, but very heavy for it's size golden box. "Wow..." he murmured, turning it over in his hands. The gold shimmered, exquisite and seemingly brand new. "Egyptian... look." He pointed to the pictographs that covered three of the four sizes. The fourth side held only a few symbols, dominated by the Wadjet Eye which seemed to wink at them in the grey light coming through the rain-washed skylights. "I wonder what it is..."

Anzu fished through the discarded paper and found an envelope with Yuugi's name written on it in Romaji letters. "This came with it... it'll probably explain."

Trading the box for the letter – though he found the gold reluctant to leave his fingertips – Yuugi peeled open the sealed envelope. It was written in English; thankfully Yuugi's grasp of the language was good. "Dear Mr. Mutou." He read. "Industrial Illusions is proud to inform you that you have won our Puzzle for Life challenge!" Yuugi grinned. "Oh wow, I won!" He hugged the letter and bounced on the spot.

"Keep reading!" Anzu laughed. "Of course you won, you usually do."

"Well, this one was really hard." Yuugi admitted, and turned to the letter again. "The grand prize is US$50,000 and this, a rare and ancient, unique artefact from the sands of Egypt." He stared, then looked in the envelope again. Sure enough, there was a certified cheque for more money than Yuugi had ever dreamed of having. This would be enough to pay for his schooling and still have enough left over to pay off the worse of the shop's bills... enough maybe a chunk of the mortgage. "I can't wait to tell Kaa-san and Jii-chan!"

"Oh Yuugi! I knew you could do it... and that's much better than taking your chances with gamblers in the worst part of town." She gave him a look; only Anzu had been in on his scheme to get money for the shop.

"I know." Yuugi grinned at her. "No more gambling for me for a while! That'll make Kaa-san happy too." He smoothed out the letter had had crumpled in his excitement. "'This ancient artefact is a puzzle, which not even the best minds have been able to solve. I wish you all the best of luck with it. Yours in good health, Pegasus J. Crawford, President, Industrial Illusions.' Puzzle?" Distracted, he put down letter and cheque as Anzu worked off the tight fitting lid. "Wow..."

"Gold puzzle pieces." Anzu took one out, turning it over in her fingers. "Look, it's so thick. This must be one of those three dimensional puzzles." It couldn't be real gold; it had to be plate. No way that they would give away a fortune in precious metal atop the prize money.

"Yep." Yuugi took the box from her lap and dumped the pieces on the bed, mind already gearing up to meet the challenge. "I wonder what it'll look like..?"

The brunet smiled and rose, heading down to the Mutou's kitchen. She knew that look... Yuugi loved puzzles, games of all kinds. If his parents could have afforded it, he might have gone to Go school. Hopefully he could make some kind of career out of it anyway. Like her love of dance, spending the rest of your life doing what you loved was the best. But it also meant that for today, if she wanted any pop and snacks, she'd have to get them herself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Shadow Wars – Chapter 2**

By: Silvershadowfire

Rating: R (Adult concepts and language)

Pairings: Puzzleshipping; outside from that I don't have a clue.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not make money from it. Characters from YuGiOh aren't mine: everyone else is. The plot is mine and the AU world in which it's set.

The wind almost pushed Yuugi down the road towards his home, seeming to play in his thick hair as he hummed and tried not to skip. Ever since he had won I2's contest and gotten the prizes life had taken a major turn for the better. Part of it of course was the prize money, making everyone's lives a little easier for a while. His mother had been promoted to a better position – more hours but at least Yuugi was more than old enough to look after himself while his mother and grandfather worked. More though, since he had gotten the puzzle everything just seemed...shinier. Brighter. Maybe it was because for the first time in a long time, he was completely happy.

Even Anzu had noticed, asking him if he'd found a girlfriend and pretending to be jealous. He smiled at the memory – she was a good friend and good person. He was lucky to have her around.

The sun shone bright in an autumn-blue sky, so different from the usual rains. Yuugi felt it was reflecting his mood and he waved merrily to the bright orb, laughing at himself. He could hear the clink of the puzzle in his backpack and that added another dimension of happiness. Intricate and beautiful, the puzzle pieces were fiendishly difficult to put together and nothing made him so happy as a challenge. Deep in thought, he never noticed the people ghosting up behind him until they had surrounded him and he literally walked into a muscular chest with a bump. Blinking, he looked at the cloth covered chest, then up at a smirking face. "Hello?" Oh damn... it was Hiruti, one of the gang leaders that had been there the last time he had been out illegally gambling. Narrow features smirked down at him from under carrot-coloured hair, greasy and cut in a 'punk' style. The back had been pulled into a ponytail and he clenched a cigarette in his teeth.

Hopefully this was just a shakedown. He'd hand over his lunch money and probably get away with just being shoved around.

"I told you I'd find you, 'Hikari'." the taller teenager took a puff of his cigarette and blew the acrid smoke into Yuugi's face. "And that I'd get my money back. Where is it, twerp?"

And there went that hope. This was going to be painful. "I spent it already. Gave it to my mom." Which was the truth. Not that truth would save him from a beating, but even if Yuugi was about to add to his extensive collection of bruises it wouldn't get the older teen's money back.

"Hm. That was a lot of money you stole from me, right guys?"

"I didn't steal anything, Hiruti-san." Yuugi protested meekly. "I won it fairly." It wasn't Yuugi's fault that Hiruti couldn't bluff to safe his life.

"You probably cheated. Can't see how a little freak like you could win a man's game otherwise. Either way, you owe me." The leer that came with those words make Yuugi's blood run cold. "Grab him."

The group moved, hands grabbing for his arms and backpack. Shocked and terrified out of his paralysis, Yuugi slipped through their hands. He felt a sleeve rip in someone's grasp before he pushed through legs to freedom. Rolling to his feet he sprinted down the road as fast as his feet could take him. The wind brought a roar of outrage to his ears from the gang, and the sound of running feet. "Get back here freak!"

Not likely. Yuugi sped up, racing for the dubious safety of home; at least his grandpa could call the police.

He felt ghostly hands grabbing for his bag and ducked., tripping over his feet and rolling painfully into a building. People went past, faces turned away; this scene was far too common these days. Yuugi grunted in pain then yelped as he was pulled to his feet by the hair. "Nice hair there... maybe we should cut it off?" Harudi laughed crudely and pulled out a butterfly knife, dragging Yuugi into a shadowed alley. The smaller teenager struggled against the hold, tears forming as his hair was painfully torn from his scalp in places. Harudi flipped out the knife and started to saw the thick black strands of his hair off to the laughter of his cronies. Yuugi fell down as the last strand parted, trying to scramble away. Too late, he saw the foot coming in and pain flared red across his vision as he was kicked like a football into the dirty alley wall, losing his breath and seeing stars. More kicks joined them, slamming him helplessly again and again until he lay semi-conscious on the ground, bleeding from his mouth and nose, body one big ball of pain.

"Remember this the next time you want to gamble, brat. Next time you cheat me, I'll cut out your heart." Laughter drifted through the air as the gang left him there.

Only when he was sure they were gone did Yuugi push himself up on his arms, looking around as best he could. All he could taste was blood. One eye had swollen nearly shut, and when he coughed on the thick liquid that filled his mouth agony radiated from a single sharp point along his ribs. Cracked, or broken. But his legs had been almost untouched. Every breath was a new torture, but he could stand and walk. Slowly. One hand on the grimy brick of the wall, he made his way out of the alley. Step by step, he walked towards the Game Shop. Only a block or two, but the pain made it seem forever. Sharp stabs cut through the duller aches, layers of pain that left him dizzy and sick. Finally he closed his eyes and simply trusted the wall to guide him.

"Yuugi!" Cool hands on his shoulders; he looked up in his pain induced fugue state to see Anzu's bright blue gaze, her dark hair framing the blurry focus of her face. "What happened to you?"

"Gang." he managed, leaning into her grasp. "Caught me... school..."

"That's enough." She placed a finger on his bloody lips and wrapped an arm around his shoulder; he leaned gratefully into the support for the last few steps to the game shop. His grandfather was going to have a heart attack when he saw this.

He went limp as he heard the bells on the door of the Game Shop ring, strength giving out. The world swam and he gagged, threatening to throw up. This was the worst; he couldn't even think for the pain, just lay there and endure, listening to Anzu and his grandfather. They sounded worried but he couldn't make out the words; there was a roaring in his ears that drowned out sound.

A soft cloth, damp and warm, wiped the blood from Yuugi's mouth and nose, allowing him to breathe easier. The cloth settled over his abused eyes and he sighed as the pain eased a trifle. In the background he could hear Jiichan's voice, terse and harsh with anger.

Then he coughed, gasping and choking. Anzu turned him facedown and he gagged out a mouthful of blood onto the couch. "Hold on Yuugi.. it's okay. Hold on..." Anzu murmured as she held him steady against the agonizing return of pain in his chest. Gagging he fell into a red- tinted ocean of darkness and knew nothing more.

Slow steady beeping drew Yuugi from his sleep. He couldn't move – his limbs seemed to weigh a ton, each, and he didn't have the strength to open his eyes. How long he lay there, listening to the beeping, he didn't know but gradually other sensation filtered into his exhausted mind. The thoughts drifted towards him; his mind was too foggy to grasp them more than lightly before they drifted away again.

The curious constriction of his mouth and nose grasped his attention and he wondered about that for a short eternity as he felt a finger finally twitch. The combination, he felt, really should remind him of something but he couldn't say what exactly. Footsteps, soft rubber on linoleum, and a gentle stranger's voice speaking to him came to his ears. He couldn't really make out the words, and before he could try to focus on them the fuzziness rose and took over his mind again. He drifted into a space between waking and sleeping, and into a vivid dream.

_...he played with blocks in the barred space of his crib, piling the soft cubes up and watching them tumble again with a giggle. Beside the crib a shadowy form stood, ghostly fingers drifting over the plush as he spoke in words Yuugi could not understand the form of, but he knew the meaning. He took up the blocks again and piled them carefully in a pyramid, all the same colour outward. Wide eyes looked up at the figure. There was no face there, no features to see except for strange eye-shapes filled with crimson light. Nevertheless, the dark voice that came from it held love and pride. The shadowy figure's fingers drifted over short fuzzy dark hair and Yuugi laughed. _

"_...Heba..." _

Yuugi woke again, and this time his mind was clear enough to understand that he wasn't at home. "Jii-chan..." he croaked, or tried to. His mouth and nose were covered in a mask, and there was an uncomfortable sensation in his throat. A soft air pump wooshed behind him, another beeping sound keeping time with his heart, and the odd soft sound of another pump. Oxygen flowed, cool down his mouth and throat in counterpoint to the overly warm air and the thin blankets that had been tucked securely around his body . Brown eyes slowly opened, adding in the sterile white walls covered with gauges to the equation. Apparently, he was in a hospital.

"Yuugi-kun? Yuugi, are you awake?" Anzu asked softly.

He turned his head slightly, seeing his brunet best friend seated in a chair beside his bed. She held one hand in both of hers, though he could only barely feel the touch. "Anzu." he tried, though it came out in a whisper. He was so tired...

"Don't try to talk. You've been in the hospital for a week; they had to do surgery on your lungs to reinflate them."

Surgery..? The gang attack came back to him in a rush, pushing the last of the haze from his mind. The only pain he was in now was a dull itching ache from his ribs and the discomfort of the throat tube and mask. His eyes widened as he looked at Anzu, a mute appeal.

"Your mother and grandfather are fine. They'll be here as soon as I call them."

He closed his eyes again and sighed. They were fine, but he didn't want to think about how much this hospital stay was going to cost them in lost revenue from her job and the shop. It would probably eat up most of his education money at the very least.

"Don't you worry." Anzu chided. "You just get better." She rose and moved to the side table – he followed her movement as best his could but even with the adrenaline rush from remembering his accident he was still very tired. "Here. This was still in your bag." She placed the box of the Millennium Puzzle in his hands. "Your family will be here soon."

Yuugi wasn't going to argue the point, not that he could anyway. He clenched the puzzle in his fingers and watched her leave; hopefully she would be back soon. He really didn't feel like being alone.

He found the controls that raised the bed and managed to get himself sitting up, then tugged the lid off his puzzle. Anzu was right about one thing; giving him a puzzle to focus on made him feel better and less fuzzy. It must be the pain drugs.

He took out the pieces he had finished and closed his eyes a moment against the dizziness. It almost seemed like the pieces flickered in the steady white light of the hospital room, and a shadow drifted over his shorn hair like a chill breeze. The teenager opened his eyes again, looking around for the shadow. He half remembered it from his dream.. or had it been a dream at all?

The door opened and Anzu slipped back in. "They're on their way, Yuugi-chan." Feet soft in slippers, she paced across the room and took her seat again. "They were so happy you woke up. I think I woke your mother though; she took a leave of absence from work so she could be with you at night."

The youth nodded and indicated his mask with one hand. He wanted it off so he could smile at them, and say hello.

"The nurse will come in soon to take it off." Anzu smiled. "I told them you were awake."

Yuugi tried to smile back as best he could and leaned into the tilted back of his bed, fingers sliding over the gold pieces.

The nurse came in, shooed out Anzu, and slid the tube out of his mouth and nose, then offered him a drink of icy water with a straw. "You're on a liquid diet for a while until your stomach gets used to food again." she told him.

With moisture in his mouth, Yuugi could speak again. "Thank you... Can I have some more to drink?"

"Of course." She fed him some more water. "Not too much now... your friend can feed you some more later. And make sure you keep the mask on when you're not eating or drinking."

Yuugi pouted. "Why?"

"Any lung damage is severe." the woman told him with kind firmness. "You have to take care of yourself. I'll be in soon with some medication for you to inhale."

"All right, thank you." He smiled at her and she smiled back, slipping out to call Anzu back in. He looked down over his mask at the gold pieces. It was silly of him, but he felt better when he handled them, and the urge to put the puzzle together and have it whole seemed stronger today. Maybe simply because he hadn't done anything on it in a week. Gold slid through his fingers; he raised a piece to the partially complete section and slid it into place. It wouldn't stay... pieces that he had found the right place for did, almost to the point where they were impossible to remove. He slid it, twisting it and it clicked into place. So... you had to give that piece a turn just so... maybe other pieces were the same. He got so far into the puzzle that he almost jumped out of his skin when Jiichan arrived with Anzu.

"Jiichan!" He dropped the puzzle and wrapped his arms around the older man. He looked worn again, which worried Yuugi horribly. He'd probably been running himself ragged to try and keep things going while his grandson was in the hospital.

"Yuugi." The older man held him gingerly. "Thank the kami... your mother and father were both worried sick. He flew back from America to see you."

"He did?" Yuugi blinked at his grandfather, shocked. "He didn't have to, won't he lose his job?"

"He already did, the same day you got hurt." his grandfather told him solemnly. "He's decided to come home and find work locally."

Yuugi nodded, unable to tell if he was happy, sad, guilty or a mix of all three. "Kaa-san must be happy to see him..."

"Very much so, despite the occasion. They should be here shortly." The older man smiled. "It's not the greatest of circumstances but at least all of the family is back together."

"Yeah." Yuugi smiled behind his oxygen mask. The guilt could wait. He would just be happy and let the future take care of itself.

Visiting hours were over, and now that Yuugi had woken up his mother allowed herself to spend the night at home with Yuugi's dad. Yuugi hadn't seen him in almost a year, and it had been shocking to see just how much older he looked, thanks to all the stress of living on his own and not being able to support his family. Hopefully he would be able to find a new job soon; Yuugi knew his pride wouldn't allow him to live on others for long. Despite that it had been wonderful to see him again, like a missing part of Yuugi's heart come home to roost for a while. His fingers slid around the gold of his puzzle as he waited for his stomach to settle and the pain drugs to kick in. They were milder at least, and wouldn't knock him silly like the ones after the surgery had.

A smile touched his lips under the mask. Anzu had been so good to him, even if that had included a week's worth of homework now sitting on his desk. He really should be working on that if he couldn't sleep but... he couldn't focus that well and for some reason the puzzle seemed to flow together better when he wasn't concentrating on it. Which was strange, but he wasn't going to argue with the results; he had it almost halfway done now. A pyramid... an upside down pyramid yet. When he got it together he'd have to contact I2 and see if they had a prize for that. After all no one else had ever done it before so it must be worth something... right? Yuugi wasn't by nature a greedy soul, but he felt awful about the lost income and gambling was what had gotten him into trouble in the first place. There had to be another way he could help, a way that wasn't so dangerous. But what?

A chill touch, like ghostly fingers, drifted through his hair and he felt his eyes droop slightly. So tired, but he had to work on the puzzle... The youth's dark eyes drifted shut and he fought them open. He almost thought he could see a familiar shadow leaning over him, then the cool touch came again and he lost the battle against sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Shadow Wars Chapter 3

"Master Pegasus... there's been word on the latest prize winner."

Pegasus opened his human eye, allowing the power of the Millennium Eye to fade down to nothing. He had been trying to glean information on the boy himself, but the distance was great and there also seemed to be a shadow around Domino, Japan. A shadow that felt strangely familiar but at the same time was nothing like what he knew. A contradiction that he knew he would have to meditate on.

Sipping his wine, Pegasus finally turned and nodded to Croquet. His tall henchman with the omnipresent mirrored glasses bowed slightly. "He's in the hospital, sir." Pegasus tried not to flinch. Another failure... "... but not a mental hospital. Apparently he was attacked by a gang, sir. He is expected to make a full recovery."

"That's good news for him." Pegasus sipped his wine again. "What of the Puzzle though?"

"According to my sources he still has it and is still working on it. It's almost halfway complete."

That made the white haired man sit up, human eye bright. "Halfway you say?"

"Yes sir."

Excitement and anticipation thrilled through Pegasus even as he told himself that he shouldn't allow himself to anticipate victory. Nevertheless no one had ever gotten this far, this fast. Maybe this time would be the one. "Keep a close eye on him Croquet. And do keep me informed."

"Of course sir."

* * *

Yuugi gave a happy sigh as he stood and stretched with only a small twinge in his side. The pain had subsided quickly, and the bone was setting nicely according to the doctors. He could even go back to school, though not back to gym class. Not that he was crying any tears over that since he hated gym. So he could spend his time in study hall instead, in theory catching up on his homework. Actually it was done already. Without a lot of other things to occupy his mind, he had split his time between his family, schoolwork that Anzu brought in for him and the puzzle, which lay on his desk nearly complete. Maybe six or seven pieces left to go, but they would probably take too long for him to do before school. Darn.

With a sigh Yuugi dressed himself in a clean uniform and made his way downstairs to join his family for breakfast.

The shadows in the bedroom drifted together and formed into a vague figure next to the shimmering Puzzle. Close... he was so close. If only he had been able to keep his precious Heba working a little longer, he could be with him always, protect him. The shadow figure paced to the door, but the effort of magic to pass any further from his prison was too great. He could not spare the power now. With a sigh, his form dissolved into drifting shadow and he retreated to his prison of darkness to wait.

In this place, darkness was all that he knew and all he had known for as long as he could remember. He couldn't remember any human form, so it was only a dark shimmer that moved toward the single point of light in this dark place. A mirror, or a window. He pressed shadow against the glass like centre of the golden eye, peering through it. For millennia this too had been dark, only sometimes showing ghostly images of the world as it passed by. He had drifted, sleeping, waking, dreaming of a life he had forgotten. Sometimes he would remember other times, times when another had been in his prison, but that other had faded, as he had faded, and he no longer remember who it was or what it looked like.

But then the images had started to come with more and more frequency, showing a baby who glowed like the forgotten light, who tugged at his drifting soul with chubby hands stronger than bronze chains. It was then that the mirror allowed him to escape again, to see the child. Always the child. Heba. He only knew the meaning of a few of their words, but he knew the name of the boy who was the missing half of his soul.

"Ankh." he whispered. His life, bright and glowing before his eyes. He'd watched him grow, become a child, then a young man. Still with the light the glowed from him. Light that made him beautiful, perfect... vulnerable. He ached to guard the Light from all danger. The mirror showed Heba with his family, healing from his beatings... a injury that the nameless spirit swore by the forgotten gods would be avenged in blood. Soon. As soon as he was free of this endless prison, he would guard and avenge his Heba, his precious light, until the end of time.

But until then he could only wait, and watch.

School was exactly as Yuugi remembered it. Noisy and full of life, full of people and their cliques. Yuugi didn't mind not being part of them... it was far more interesting to watch them. A game of a different sort, to figure out who was doing what with who. Sometimes it got lonely. Sometimes Yuugi wished he could join that game. But he wasn't a jock or a nerd, or a social butterfly. And truthfully, for all the loneliness he wouldn't have it any other way. His grandfather had told him once that he had a choice between being who he was or fitting in. He'd chosen the former; he was who he was and though sometimes he wondered if he could be more, it was nothing more than a wistful thought.

After handing in all his back homework at the front desk the teenager found his usual spot at the back and made sure everything was neat in case his teacher decided to do an inspection. That done, he watched the others in his class. Anzu of course, talking with Miho the library assistant and some of her other friends. Jounouchi and Honda together at Jounouchi's desk, once in a while glancing over at Yuugi. He wondered if they knew that their gang had beaten him up. Probably; the pair had been in detention that day and so hadn't been there, but they probably knew. Yuugi ducked his head and tried to look sufficiently chastised, hoping that they had nothing more in store for him.

Faint hope. Ice shivered down his back as Jounouchi pushed himself off his desk and wandered over, hands in his pockets. Yuugi felt himself shrink into his desk, avoiding looking up at him. He could feel eyes burning into him. Not just Jounouchi's but Honda's as well. Watching him. Judging him. Footsteps stopped by his desk. At least it was only the blonde gangbanger, not his brunet companion.

"Hey, Mutou. Bout time ya got back ta school. Listen... ya smart, yer gonna lay low, ya hear? Head straight home after school, an' no loiterin'." To his surprise it sounded less like a threat and more like a warning. Yuugi looked up at the tall blond teen with shy curiously, trying to read his light brown gaze. But Jounouchi's features were hard and completely opaque.

"Why are you telling me this?" Yuugi asked at last, after a moment of silence between them.

"Eh... ain't cause I like ya, wimp. Jus' don' like the little guys bein' beat on, ya know? Ain't fair ta hit someone can' or won' hit back." The other's thick dialect gave Yuugi a bit of trouble understanding his Japanese, but not a lot.

"Oh... well thank you anyway. I will try to lay low." Yuugi gave him a smile. The warning was unexpected but certainly not unwelcome and he would make sure the blond knew he was grateful for it.

"Whatever." Jounouchi turned and walked back towards Honda. The pair shared a quiet word and a laugh before settling in their seats. Yuugi let out a breath and rested his head on the desk as unexpected tension drained out of his body and his rib twinged in pain. The last thing he needed was to get all tensed up, but no sooner had it drained away then the door opened and the other bane of Yuugi's life stalked in, his uniform precisely correct, his dark hair combed in perfect place, blue eyes like ice lasers that weighed and judged and found the rest of humanity wanting. Kaiba Seto.

Yuugi ducked again, fists clenching under hs desk. His grandfather had insisted that Yuugi's money remain for his education. That meant that some of the bills didn't get paid, including ones to his suppliers of which the largest was Kaiba Corp. And that mean the CEO had another in to Jii-chan's shop if they didn't pay it back fast enough. Yuugi just hoped that the teen was too busy running his multinational company to worry about a single game shop on the wrong side of Domino. It wasn't like they were any competition to him. KC's holographic game system tables were the hottest thing on the market right now; he had to be making money hand over fist.

Carefully he counted to ten and made himself look away. The last thing he needed was for Kaiba to consider Yuugi's chibi glare to be a challenge. Everyone knew that Kaiba had very direct ways of dealing with people who challenged him. For a moment Yuugi entertained the daydream of challenging Kaiba to a game; anything. Chess, shogi, go... any game. He'd play the other into the ground and win some massive prize, a bet that would give him and his family enough to keep them going for six months or a year. And he'd have the adulation of dozens of screaming fans chanting his name, Yuugi... Yuugi...

"Mutou!"

He jumped, pulled out of his daydream, and blushed pink when he saw every eye in the place on him. Sheepishly he rose as the sempai glared. "Now bow." she instructed, like she would a child who didn't know the basic rules of etiquette. Yuugi bowed, trying to hide his flaming face behind his short cropped hair. He caught a sympathetic glance from Anzu and a contemptuous one from Kaiba.

Titters sounded from all around the classroom as they sat down again and the short teen hid behind his book. At least he was all caught up, thanks to Anzu's notes from the lectures. Still, this looked like it would be a bad start to his first day back at school.

He wasn't wrong.

First all the teachers decided they had to quiz him to see if he had actually done his homework properly, and Yuugi was so not into public speaking. Then there were the titters when he inevitably messed up in his nervousness, and the assigned extra homework wasn't designed to make him any happier. By the time he got to lunch, the teenager wished for gym class – at least that didn't have homework!

"Hey." Anzu touched his shoulder. "You sure you're up for this? You look worn out."

"I am." Yuugi flopped in his desk and winced. His side ached. "This should be the worst of it, right?"

"It should be." Anzu agreed with a small smile. "At least once you get all that extra homework done."

"Don't remind me." he groaned. "I should have brought my pain medicine."

"Do you need to see the nurse?" Anzu asked, suddenly all concern. "If you're in pain..."

"No... it's lunch and I have study hall while you're in gym." He smiled up at her, though pain creased his forehead. "I'll be fine when I can relax for a bit, and I can get some of this extra work done there."

"Okay, if you're sure." She still looked concerned, but went to get her bento so she could eat lunch with him.

Yuugi was just opening his when the lights dimmed and he looked up to find Kaiba Seto looming over his desk. Perfect brown hair, slender to the point of skinny and tall, taller than most adults it was easy for him to loom over the much shorter teen. "Er... hello?"

"Mutou. A word." Kaiba laid down an envelope on his desk, his exotic blue eyes empty and cold. "For your family. Your bills are far past due. You have a week to pay it off before we sue you for nonpayment."

"What?" Yuugi stared at the taller teenager, food forgotten. "Why?"

"It's strictly business, Mutou. Your family's shop is over 90 days in debt to KC. We are well within our rights to demand prompt payment." he tapped the paper. "Consider this your formal warning." With that he turned and strode off, uniform rustling. Yuugi stared after him, mind locked in a loop of confusion and shock.

"Yuugi?" Anzu touched his shoulder. "What is it?"

"I..." He blinked, coming out of his near fugue state as he brought soft brown eyes up to hers. "We..." Shock locked his throat up and he just shook his head. "I have to go home." Pushing himself to his feet, Yuugi brushed past her and headed for the office to sign out. He had to get this to Jiichan as soon as possible. Anzu came after him of course, stopping him in the hall.

"Yuugi, what's going on?" she demanded, shaking his shoulders gently.

"It's Kaiba. He's... threatening to sue. We have to pay him in a week or else."

Anzu's jaw firmed. "That's... that's just wrong! You can't give in to him, Yuugi."

"I won't." He looked up. "I can get the money. The stuff set aside for my schooling... it's there. I can pay that back in a bit, with gambling."

"Gambling? Yuugi, you can't. What if that gang comes after you again?"

"I'll go someplace else. I can't let him do this to us, Anzu-chan. We'll be homeless... Tou-san doesn't have a job, Kaa-san is working but we still don't have enough to do that in a week. We just don't have the savings."

"Yuugi..."

The smaller teen's hands came up and grasped Anzu's arms. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"You'd better, or I'll kick your butt too." The girl let him go, standing back. "I'll sign you out. Go ahead."

"Thanks." He smiled warmly at his best friend, then turned and dashed off towards home.

Yuugi gasped for breath as he arrived at the Game Shop. "Jii-chan?"

"Yuugi? What are you doing home from school? Is it your ribs?"

"No." though they were hurting too. "Here... Kaiba-san gave this to me in class today." He handed over the envelope and watched his grandfather read the contents. The old man's face seemed to grow older as the watched. "We can take the money in the bank and use that, Jiichan. That should cover the outstanding amount, right?"

"Some of it.. most of it. But then you'll have nothing left, Yuugi."

"I'll have a home, Jiichan." He smiled up at his grandpa. "We can't let him win... it's wrong for him to do this to us."

A sigh escaped the older man. "I don't like it."

"I know Jiichan, but we don't have much of a choice. I can win back the money..."

"NO!" Yuugi jumped at the sharp tone in his grandfather's voice. "You will not."

"Jiichan..."

"I won't see you hurt again like that. And I won't see your parents worried half to death about you. Let us handle this Yuugi. We're the adults, we can take care of this mess."

"I'm sixteen, Jiichan! I'm old enough to help out."

"Yuugi..." His grandfather placed his hands on his shoulders. "You are a student. For now there is nothing else you need to be. Let us deal with this." 

"Jiichan..."

"That's my last word on it."

The teen sighed, but rebellion lingered in his thoughts. He would help out as best he could; as he knew from personal experience, it was much easier to ask for forgiveness than to obtain permission. "Hai, Jiichan."

"Now go on upstairs and rest." his grandfather ordered in a gentler tone. "I can see you're favouring your side."

It was sore, something Yuugi couldn't deny. So he gave his grandfather a hug and slipped past him to go upstairs.

Pain medication was good. The teenager took one of the strong pills and laid down on his bed, closing his eyes. The throbbing pain slowly ebbed as he let his mind drift, picking at the problem of Kaiba Seto and his company. He slowly relaxed, helped by the gentle cool breeze through his hair. With a sigh he rolled over onto his good side and opened his eyes again, watching the play of light and shadow around the curtains of his closed window. Thanks to the medication it took him a while to connect the incongruity of his closed window and the breeze still caressing his hair. There must be a draught... right? That had to be it. But when he rolled over to look, his door was closed and there was only wall, nowhere for a draught to come in. Strange... the shadows seemed wrong too. But he couldn't focus on it for some reason.

One hand drifted up and grasped the incomplete Puzzle, dragging it from the side table to cuddle against his chest. He felt better holding it, strange as it seemed. Almost like a touchstone. "I really want to help Jiichan." he said aloud to the Puzzle. Silly to speak to an inanimate object, but he still always felt as though someone were listening. "But I don't know what to do. If I go out and get the money for them, then I'll hurt Jiichan, but there isn't any way I can earn it legitimately. What do I do?"

Of course the puzzle didn't answer. But the cool feeling along his scalp increased, almost as if someone were petting his hair. He closed his eyes again, fingers tracing the contours of the puzzle. With a sigh the pain seemed to recede, and the confusion. There really wasn't anything he could do right this moment, and he had a week to work it out, right?

Restless, he opened his eyes and pushed himself upright, using the pillows to support himself as he opened the box with the rest of the gold pieces in them. Most of them were nearly identical looking, gold Tetris pieces in three dimensions. And like that Russian puzzle game the pieces had to be twisted and slipped into their places. Only two really stood out as different; one was the base piece where a large plate surmounted by a gold loop marked the starting point of the puzzle. The second and more mysterious was a nearly flat piece, the only one that wasn't smooth gold. Molded into the face of it was a strange eye-shaped pattern. When he had shown it to Jiichan, the old man had called it the Wadjet Eye, an ancient symbol of protection. The edges of that piece were almost star shaped with two bits that stuck out of the top. He wondered if it would be the last piece to go in, the key that would hold the whole thing together.

The afternoon passed unnoticed as he worked, fingers smoothing over warm gold. Not only did the various pieces have to be put in the right place and fit there, but the order had to be perfect as well. Yuugi worked them in with unending patience, the painkillers and even the straits of his family leaving his mind, to be replaced a strangely obsessive need. And as the sun set, he placed the last piece into the shining puzzle.

It laid in his hand a moment, the seams between the pieces almost invisible, the carved Eye staring up at him blindly. The final form was a pyramid, the loop on the bottom and the four sides joining to a single point. After a moment he realized that it was actually an inverted pyramid; the loop was supposed to be at the top if the Eye was upright. Strange... it almost looked like an oversized amulet.

Then from the centre of the icon came a rainbow shimmer, a glow that turned into a blinding light. Yuugi gasped as the artefact's light focussed into a white hot beam from the Eye to his forehead. It burned and he pulled back, trying to get away but the light followed, locked onto him. He tumbled from the bed and onto the floor with a cry, curling around his injured rib and gasping as he felt that white hot burning slowly spread through his body, every nerve alight with it. He thought he screamed, but no one came to check on him. Shadows swirled around the room, seemingly drawn to the light and dancing up the walls of his room.

Light came from everywhere, blinding him. The burning pulsed with every beat of his head, and his body broke into a sweat, leaving him shaking and craving something he didn't know, but needed. He thought he was going to burst into flame, but then like a miracle that gentle breeze was back, stronger now. It caressed him, draping protectively around him and easing the burning.

The light dimmed and the burning faded to a warm thrumming in his blood. The pain was gone now. The sensation felt almost good. The Puzzle tumbled to the ground in front of him, rainbow glow gone as though it had never been. With a shaking hand Yuugi pushed himself off the ground, the other reaching up to touch the impact point. It felt warm, raw. "What... happened?" He crawled back from the Puzzle, staring at it in shock. The Puzzle didn't answer, watching him with a curious level of awareness that made the teen distinctly uneasy.

Then the Puzzle flashed incandescently, and the shadows in the room seemed to gather, curling, twisting into a single form. Indistinct, it knelt before him and pressed cool shadowy hands to his temples. Ghostly lips brushed ice over the bruised mark on his forehead. Yuugi gasped and his eyes rolled up as he fell backwards into darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Shadow Wars Chapter 4

A/n: Sorry about the delay everyone. Thank you for being so patient while I rewrote this. I hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 4

Pegasus jerked out of a restless sleep, his golden eye shining strongly enough to light up his room. Power pulsed from it, drawing bloody tears of agony as it dug into his mind and spirit. The Item he had paid for in blood and borne for so long was finally, truly awake. He held up a hand as the Shadow Realm opened deeper to him than it ever had before. Mysteries that had been hidden laid at his feet like treasures.

It had to be the Puzzle. Finally, after all these years, someone had completed the Millennium Puzzle. Clear liquid slid down from his human eye. "Cyndia, my beloved. It is time." He pushed himself from his bed and summoned Croquet. He had work to do. And he would not be the only one who would know of the completion of the Puzzle. Five other items completed the ancient set, but he had no idea who held them, or if they would come now to Japan. He had to get the Puzzle back before they made their move.

In Domino, Yuugi's body shifted and rose, opening eyes dyed the colour of fresh blood. He stretched and shifted, getting used to the heavy and bound feeling of having a body again. Fingers slid through thick black hair, absently spiking it up and out of his eyes. It was good to have a body again, even if it was borrowed. Dark shadows swirled around him as he pushed himself to his feet. Mentally he touched the bright presences wrapped in layers of protective shadow, sleeping deeply. His omote would rest there as the shadow bound their souls and the spirit of the Puzzle tapped into his knowledge. Not everything, of course. But enough to function in this world. Enough so he would know who he was supposed to be.

His magic settled around him, forming barriers and shields marked with invisible, half forgotten sigils. They flared with black light, sealing his light's spirit from danger.

The air was already chilling quickly with the retreat of the sun. He took a coat out of his hikari's closet and tucked it around his shoulders, then opened the slanted window over his desk and climbed out. The spirit enjoyed the sensation of cold air against his skin, the heat of life drifting from his lips to pool in the air as mist. The scent of night came to him, the scents of the city; exhaust and bark, cooling asphalt and the distant promise of rain. Sounds came too, the engines of cars and the footsteps of people, chattering away about their cares. None of them had any clue that tonight, the shadows would ride, demanding justice. "Find him." His voice was deeper than Yuugi's, richer with the touch of command. Almost startling even to himself. "Find the coward who injured and threatened him. Find him and bring him to me."

Shadow spun from his steps as he dropped from the roofline and stalked into the night, seeking a place to confront his prey.

Jounouchi woke from his restless sleep, not certain why, but only knowing that something was very wrong. His room was too dark, the shadows cast by the streetlights wrong. The blonde stared up at the shifting illusion of light and darkness, inexplicably terrified. Silence echoed in the room, the only sound his own rapid breathing. He couldn't even hear the snoring of his father in the room next door. He tried to reach for his lamp, to turn on a light, but his groping hand found nothing. The floor was icy cold, the air as much so. The terror twisted in his stomach, until he wanted to scream but when he opened his mouth nothing came out. He couldn't scream, couldn't make a sound, couldn't cry out for help or to protest his innocence... though why that thought came to him he had no clue.

Then, between one breath and the next it was gone, leaving him panting. The darkness was just darkness, empty of threat. The cold was only the normal chill of no heat. He groped for his light and found it, turning it on with shaking fingers to banish the clinging remnants of the dream. What kind of nightmare had that been?

Shivering with more than the chill of the air, Jounouchi rolled over and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. But he didn't turn off the light.

The spirit's quarry broke through the bushes into the empty yard of Domino High School panting and wild eyed. His hair was disheveled, half out of his normal ponytail, and the school uniform he wore was only half buttoned. The spirit smirked as the shadows drove him like a deer towards him. Let the coward know true fear before he faced his judgement.

Hiruti stumbled to a halt a soon as he came into the orange light of the street lamps, trying to catch his breath. Finally he looked up and saw the spirit, snarling. "Mutou. What are you doing here?" He looked around, unable to see the shadows now. With a snarl he turned back towards the spirit. "You did this?"

"Ah, more clever than I gave you credit for... not particularly hard. Indeed, I brought you here. It is time that you face your judgement."

The taller teenager snorted. "Judgement."

"You have trespassed on my soul. For that, you must play a game with me."

"I don't play games without stakes, kid." He stalked up and smirked, having gotten his feet under him again. "What do you have to offer?"

The spirit laughed darkly. "What do I offer? If you win, then you may take this." He put a hand in his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills. At least three hundred thousand yen. The man's eyes lit up with greed as he almost reached for the money. The spirit pulled it back out of reach, his crimson eyes danced as he looked up at the taller boy. "Tch... not so fast. If I win... you play the Penalty Game."

"And if I just decide to beat you up and take the money?" Hiruti asked with a sneer.

"Then you forfeit... and your nightmares will have you." The spirit smirked as the greed was overshadowed by fear. Humans were such easy creatures. Nothing he could come up with could be more nightmarish than their own private fears.

"Fine." Hiruti snarled, hands in his pockets. He took out his cigarettes and lit one, deliberately nonchalant. The spirit almost laughed again. "What game?"

"Come." The spirit gestured, his coat flapping in the night breeze as he led the taller boy to an outdoor lunch table. He perched on the top, one leg casually half folded under himself. "Do you know War?"

"War?" Hiruti leaned on the other side. "No. I don't. I've never heard of that game before."

"It's a form of double solitare." He produced a deck of cards and stripped their case off of them, shuffling. "It's a simple game... we each have 26 cards. We flip them up one by one... the one with the highest value takes the other's card. Kings take queens and queens take jacks." He slid the cards easily through his fingers, almost dancing over the plastic covered cardboard. "Ace are highest of all. Whoever has the most cards at the end wins."

"What if the two cards are the same." Hiruti asked in a bored tone.

"Ah... then we have a war. You place three cards face down, and flip up the fourth. The higher card then takes all four face up and all six face down cards." The spirit smirked. "But this is a shadow game. Even for losing a lesser war you will pay a forfeit over and above your cards."

Hiruti snorted. "Sure, whatever. I won't lose. But I want to cut the deck so I know you're not cheating."

The spirit laughed mockingly. "Only a fool cheats in the shadow games."

"Shadow games. I must have hit you too hard on the head, kid. You're crazy." He watched as the spirit dealt out all the cards, until they had 26 each. "Ready?"

"Ready." The spirit smirked, watching the shadows dance around them. "But are you ready to face your fears?"

"Shut the fuck up and play." He flipped up his first card. "Nine."

"Six." The spirit watched Hiruti gather the cards, then flip up his next, and the next. Until they both showed a seven.

The spirit placed three cards in a neat line and paused, fingers on the next. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Hiruti flipped up a card; the eight of diamonds. He grimaced and looked up at the spirit, who smirked as he laid down a queen.

"You lose." The spirit smirked as the eight diamonds rose up and formed a chain around the other's arms and throat, weighted down with eight golden medallions. "Did you know, diamonds used to be called 'coins'?" he asked. "They represented worldly wealth."

Hiruti snarled at him, pulling futilely at the chains that refused to come off. "Fuck you what is this?"

"I did say there would be a forfeit." the spirit smiled and collected his winnings, putting him handily ahead of Hiruti. "Next card."

The other teenager flipped it down almost violently and the game continued. The spirit could see droplets of sweat on his forehead as he fought against the weight of his own greed, money cheated off others. Lightly he laid his own cards down, winning some and losing some until they paired off with kings. Three cards down, then the spirit flipped his final card. A two of hearts? He looked up, startled despite himself as Hiruti gloated. "Looks like I win this one, Mutou." He had a five of spades.

The spirit bowed his head as two goblets appeared next to him, and he drank them down. They were icy cold and bitter, bitter as wormwood and tears, as defeat. The liquid sat unsteadily in his stomach, but he pushed aside the discomfort to press on with the game.

They were almost even, judging by their piles, and the game was nearly done. The spirit flipped a card, seeing it matched by Hiruti's. He counted down three and flipped up a card... a jack. He looked up to see Hiruti had the same.

"Now what?"

"Leave the cards and lay another stack of three." the spirit instructed. "This will decide the game." 18 cards to the winner. He could see sweat dripping down Hiruti's face, fear in the other's eyes. Would he remain strong?

The spirit flipped his final card, looking down. The king of clubs. "Can you beat that?" he asked, looking up with a confident smirk.

"I can!" Hiruti said, too loudly, and flipped his final card. "Ha! The ace of spades! I win!"

But the moment he put the card down it ballooned up, shadows exploding from it. The spirit laughed, as he felt a hilt slid into his hand. A sword... how appropriate. "No..." he breathed. "You cheated..." He reached down with his free hand and drew from his own pile the ace of spades that he had already won. "Fool. I might have let you go with your life... but the shadows show your cowardice." He felt the Eye on his Puzzle flare to life, matching the one on his brow that burned with righteous magic.

Hiruti screamed in fear, pushing himself back. A card fluttered from his lap to the ground; a three of diamonds. "Stop..." His eyes were on the sword in the spirit's hand, a long, lean and deadly weapons.

"Oh no..." He laughed, dark and insane. "No... I will taste your blood this night." Hiruti turned to run but the golden chain tangled him, twining tightly around him. The spirit stood over him, savoring his victory and his victim's fear as he thrust the blade, stabbing him again and again. His screams were music. The spirit licked his lips, crimson eyes matching the blood of his prey on the ground until finally he tired of the game and silenced him with a single thrust through the throat. Hiruti gargled a final cry that turned to a death rattle. The spirit released the blade, leaving it in place.

Then without a backwards look he turned, leaving Hiruti's stiffening corpse for the crows.

* * *

In a different part of town, walled away from the peons that ran the nuts and bolts of the financial empire he ruled, Seto Kaiba tapped the keys of his laptop with idle fingers. It wasn't unusual for him to be up so late, but something disturbed him that night, keeping him from the pure focus he needed for his work.

With an effort he bought his attention back to the screen which currently showed a map of Japan, divided into numerous financial districts. The ones under his complete control were marked in green, and there were a gratifying number of them. Others were marked in yellow; areas where KC held control either through dummy companies or other means of indirect control. Some few areas were still red – those were not yet under his sway. That was unacceptable. Only perfection could be accepted.

His gaze flicked to a single read dot that blinked mockingly in the heart of Domino itself. It was inconceivable that a simple independent shop could have help out against him for so very long. The situation would be rectified soon; he would start collection proceedings against the shop in the morning. Then he would offer to buy the old man out so he had at least something out of it. Maybe even sweeten the deal by offering to hire his grandson as a tester or something. It wasn't like Mutou's test scores were any reason for him to stay in school. Then when the deal was finalized he would fire him, unless he somehow actually turned out to be useful. Unlikely a scenario as that seemed.

Satisfied with that plan, he closed and packed up his laptop, calling his limo to take him back to the mansion for some few hours of sleep.

As he left, the wind rattled against the windows of his office and the shadows tilted strangely. The paused, looking back with blue eyes narrowed in consideration. But the moment passed and he turned again, not looking back.

* * *

Yuugi shifted restlessly in his sleep, not certain what had roused him. He tried to open his eyes but they refused to stay open. His bed was too comfortable, warm and soft and ooh-so good, without the lumps and bumps he had grown used to. The blankets were heavy and soft, thick and so warm, almost too warm. He fought against the lethargy to rouse himself, catching glimpses of his room. But the walls were glowing faintly, and there were games scattered all around. Hadn't he just cleaned up his room?

With an effort that felt as though he was lifting a thousand tonne weight he managed to sit up, only to find himself face to face with a strange, shadowy figure. Crimson eyes, glowing like a demon's, watched him from a featureless face. He opened his mouth to cry out, in surprise perhaps, but the shadow form lifted a hand and placed it over his mouth. Fatigue washed over him, along with a deliciously cool sensation that eased the too warm pulsing of his skin. Helplessly he was made to lay back down, his body caressed by more soft tendrils. Face, arms, hands, shoulders. Sleep pulled at his mind, but he didn't want to give into it. "Who... are.. you.." he managed, blinking against the sleep.

The spirit leaned over him, filling his word. Strange words came from his shadowed lips. "_...imi twe ni i..._" it breathed. The voice, a rich whisper of a thousand tones, seemed to fill his mind. Hadn't he known it... from somewhere? It was getting hard to think as he stared into the burning crimson, panting as he felt heat rising, burning through him like a fever.

He gasped as the darkness seemed to slide inside him, through his skin, easing the burning. He closed his eyes and moaned, letting it cool him. "What..."

The shadow's fingers drifted over his mouth again. "_Imi tew en i Heba, ahkew i._"*

He didn't understand the words, but the meaning was somehow clear. The spirit wanted him. But it had to be willing; he had to accept. Yuugi didn't know how or why he thought that, but at the same time part of him knew it was true. And part of him, some part he didn't understand, ached to accept. To be complete.

His mouth opened, a single syllable dropping like a gem. "Yes."

And the darkness smiled.

*Egyptian for "Give yourself to me, Yuugi my light."


	6. Chapter 6

****A/N: Thank you to all my readers for their patience. I hope you enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: YuGiOh and all related properties belong to Takahashi-san. The plot and any extra bit players are mine.

**Shadow Wars Chapter 5**

The sun was shining when Yuugi finally stirred on his bed, pulling the sheets over his head with a groan. Even the weak autumn light was enough to pull him out of the warm depths of his slumber. He poked his head back out on the side away from his windows and peered at the clock. Almost noon. Good thing it wasn't a school day... oh shit. Yuugi sat straight up in bed as he realized it was Tuesday and he was so far beyond late it wasn't funny. The sheets tangled around his legs as he squeaked and fell out of his bed with a thump. "Jiichan! Why didn't you wake me up?!" His voice broke as he wrestled himself free. There was no answer – he was probably down in the shop – but Yuugi didn't wait anyway. He pushed himself to his feet, kicking off the last of the sheets before padding to the bathroom.

The shower woke him up the rest of the way. He jumped out of the water and ran a hand through his wet hair. It seemed different somehow. He wiped the mist off the mirror and blinked at his reflection. Yes, it was his reflection. His hair was a mess; even soaked it stood up in thick messy spikes, though his blonde bangs still hung around his face. But what really caught his attention were the bright violet eyes blinking back at him in the foggy mirror. His hand came up and touched his own cheek, the movement echoed by his mirror twin. The swirling mist seemed to darken for a moment and Yuugi spun, looking for the shadow from the Puzzle. His heart hammered in his chest with a strange mix of fear and another emotion he couldn't name. "Are you there?"

The door creaked open and Yuugi almost hit the roof with a squeak. Jiichan stepped in, giving him an amused look. "Who are you talking to, Yuugi?"

"Er..." he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, blushing pinkly. "I don't know. I had a weird dream last night and it's made me jumpy. How come you didn't wake me for school?"

"It was cancelled today." the old man told him. "There was some kind of incident and they closed the school to investigate."

"Incident?" He cocked his head and automatically tried to flatten his hair out, one hand still on the towel as he padded past the older man to his room to find his clothing. "Did they say what, Jiichan?"

"No, only that a gang member was found on the grounds of Domino High School. They didn't give names, but they did say that his body had been 'badly mutilated'."

"Ew." Yuugi shivered and rubbed his arms. "That's horrible... I hope his family will be all right. Who could have done such a thing?"

"I'm sure the police will find whoever did it." Sugoroku gave him a squeeze to the shoulder. "You should get dressed and come down for lunch. Are you feeling better?"

"Better?" Yuugi echoed.

"You didn't come down for dinner, and this morning you were feverish and I couldn't wake you for more than a few minutes. I wouldn't have sent you to school even if it were open."

Sick? He didn't remember anything after.. A blink. "I solved the Puzzle."

"Yuugi?"

"I solved the puzzle last night, Jiichan. It..." No, that had to have been his imagination. Glowing Puzzles, shadowy spirits from dreams of his childhood who spoke strangely familiar words... He turned and headed to his room. "I solved it."

"Yuugi, you aren't making any sense. What does the Puzzle have to do with you getting sick?"

"I don't..." He shook his head and picked up the object sitting innocently on his desk. There was a cord threaded through the top loop, one he didn't remember putting on it. "The last thing I remember is finishing this." The rest of it had to be a dream. It had to be.

The older man took the Puzzle and turned it in his hands, admiring it and noting the beauty and the symbolism. Most Egyptologists felt that the pyramid had been a symbol of the sun's rays, flowing down over the earth. Like the obelisks that dotted their ancient temples, it was a holy symbol. But from the way this was made it seemed to be inverse. Upside down... what did it mean? He knew the Eye on it as well. The Eye of Wadjet, or Horus. Protection and a symbol against evil but that conflicted with the inverted pyramid itself. Too much for an amateur such as himself... "Yuugi, what happened? After you finished this?"

"I think I just passed out. Weird dream though..." He took the Puzzle back and looked at it, reaching up to touch his forehead.

There was a knock from the downstairs door and Sugoroku started. "Go ahead and get dressed. I'm sure it's just all the stress catching up with you. How is your side?"

"It's fine." Yuugi smiled up at his grandfather, somewhat surprised that the words were true instead of automatic reassurance. "You'd better go answer that. I'll be down in a bit." He hugged him quickly but firmly, glad for his presence. The older man had always been a steadying influence on him, in a lot of ways closer than his father had been.

"Bring the box you got that in too. Maybe we can translate the symbols on it." his grandfather instructed. He'd always thought that the puzzle was nothing more than a strange prize; Pegasus Crawford had a reputation for being rather eccentric after all. But now... the older man frowned as he walked down the stairs. Now he had a feeling. Yuugi had been acting scared in the bathroom, almost as though someone had been watching him. Moreover, he'd gotten a good look at his grandson, and the young man he had helped raise had always had brown eyes. But for the last few minutes, he'd been staring into shining violet with flecks of amethyst.

Still deep in thought, Sugoroku answered the door to find two tall young men waiting for him. Both were in snappy Western suits and had the kind of expression that the old man usually associated with people who knew their authority, where it extended and exactly how far they could push it. "Good afternoon."

"Mutou Sugoroku-san?"

"Yes..."

"My name is Tatsuro..." The speaker was slightly taller than his companion, slender yet muscular. His companion was shorter and stockier, with fair features and a soft smile. "This is my partner Ashio. We're with the Domino Metropolitan Police. Is your grandson home?"

"Yes he is." The older man frowned, wondering what they were doing here.

"We need to speak to him concerning the murder at Domino High last night. May we come in?"

"Murder at..." He stared at the pair for what had to be a full moment before he shook his head to get it working again and stepped back to allow them inside. "Ah, forgive me. I just.. surely you don't thing that Yuugi had anything to do with that."

"We're speaking to most of the students, but this is of import to your grandson." Ashio murmured in a pleasant tenor, much softer than his partner's heavy bass. "He was known to him, you see."

"Known..." Surely not a friend. "Not Makazi Anzu...!"

"No... the victim was male. I'm afraid that we really should wait for your grandson before we continue." Both men had doffed their shoes and toed on the house slippers kept by the door for guests. Mutely the old man led them into the living room and offered them tea as he heard Yuugi padding down the stairs.

"Jiichan, I found the box that... oh!" Yuugi blinked at the police officers as he came in. "Sorry, I didn't know we had company." He bowed, golden box in one hand. "Hello."

"Mutou-san." Ashio bowed slightly back. "Please have a seat. I am Ashio and this is my partner Tatsuro. We are with the police and we need to ask you a few questions."

Yuugi glanced at his grandfather, his violet – yes, they were distinctly purple now, not brown – gaze surprised. He was also, the older man noted, wearing the Puzzle like a necklace on a smooth brown cord around his neck. It hung heavily in the middle of his chest over his casual white and blue T-shirt, contrasting with that and the soft worn denim of his pants. Oddly he was also wearing a leather collar around his neck, obviously to keep the cord from chafing, and he had his hair spiked up. The wild hairstyle only emphasised the teen's rounded jaw and wide eyes. "Of course. I'll do anything I can to help." He sat down, looking at them in confusion.

"Did you know Haruti Nagasi?" Tatsuro asked, pulling out of his briefcase a small file.

"Um... I know of him He's one of the gang leaders at school." Yuugi nodded cautiously. "I don't know him well and we weren't friends." Might as well be honest. "But I know him, yes." A chill ran down his back as he realize the other man was speaking of Haruti in the past tense..

"He was found dead this morning."

Yuugi paled, and Sugoruko made a sound before he could help himself. Dead...? That would explain why they were here. The family had filed a police report after Yuugi's attack after all.

"Dead...? You don't think I..." Yuugi clutched the puzzle, turning an unhealthy shade of green.

"Not yourself, no." The smaller policeman soothed. "But we are looking into anyone who might have had a grudge against the victim. Your name was certainly on that list and you recently came into some money, didn't you?"

"Yes... but I wouldn't... I couldn't." Yuugi shook his head in mute negation, fingers white on the Puzzle.

"They said on the news that his body had been mutilated." Sugoroku broke in. Was it just his imagination or was it getting colder in here? Darker? "My grandson is a gentle soul. He would never do such a thing or pay another to do it."

"Of course." The smaller man indicated to his partner to open the file, laying out photos that had to be from the crime scene. "But you understand that we have to be thorough in our investigation."

"I understand..." Yuugi managed, then turned pure white when he saw the pictures and gagged. "Ex...excuse me..." lurching to his feet, the teenager headed for the kitchen.

His grandfather glanced at the photos and had to restrain his own gag reflex. That wasn't a body... that was a hunk of ground meat. Someone would have to be downright sadistic and more than a bit insane to take the time to be almost artistic in the damage they inflicted. "Holy gods."

"Preliminary findings from the department of forensics indicates that most of this damage was inflicted before death. They haven't determined the actual cause of death. I know that you don't want to think that your grandson might have anything to do with it, but I still have to ask. Was Yuugi out at all last night?"

"No... no he came home early with a note from Kaiba Seto from school. You were right when you said that Yuugi came into some money, but most of it is already earmarked for other things. Back bills, for the most part. He would not have been able to afford to hire anyone who could do that, even if he were willing to."

"I see." The policeman put the pictures away as a pale and shaking Yuugi came back in, sitting close to his grandfather.

"I don't know who killed him." Yuugi whispered. "But I was home all night. I swear. I...kami-sama..." he shook his head. "I didn't contact anyone to do that. You can look at my computer and stuff. Anything you want. He might have beat me up but that's not worth... that."

Tatsuro gave the teen a very direct look. Sugoroku knew what they were seeing. A sixteen year old bully magnet who looked no more than twelve, skin sallow with dull shock and disgust, eyes wide and white all around, fingers clutching the Puzzle like a talisman against evil. And despite all that, he radiated an innocence that no one who had deliberately shed the blood of another human being could possess. "I think that you would be better to look towards the rival gangs." Sugoroku said at last. "I know Yuugi, and he would never do this." One arm wrapped around his shoulders and hugged him close.

"Well... just as long as you don't leave town." both detectives rose. "We may be calling on you to make official statements."

"Of course." The older man rose to see them out. Yuugi remained on the couch; for some reason the back foyer seemed warm and inviting compared to the living room at the moment. "There was no need to put him through this." Sugoroku commented firmly to the men as they slipped their shoes on. "Yuugi is innocent."

The partners exchanged glances, then Ashio nodded. "I think he is too. His reaction to the picture was far too genuine, and he certainly doens't seem the type to hire someone to do his dirty work for him. But you have to understand, Mutou-san, that we have to cover all bases. Not just for the victim either. As long as we can rule him out then he shouldn't have any problems with the media. They're just looking for a hero or a scapegoat, and I'm sure you don't want your grandson to be either one."

"No." Sugoroku agreed. "I don't. But you didn't have to traumatise him either. Yuugi's delicate and very innocent. He's been kept from a great deal of the wrongs of this world."

"I hope you can keep him that way." Ashio murmured. "He strikes me as a good boy. Keep him close until this blows over."

"I will." As though he needed someone to tell him to keep Yuugi safe.

The policemen left and the elder Mutou padded back into the living room to check on his grandson. For a moment he had the disconcerting impression that there was a dark figure curled around the youth, stroking his hair and watching him with the eyes of a demon. It was no _yuurei_, nor _youkai_ that he had ever heard of though. Yuugi seemed to be almost asleep, relaxed against the arm of the couch with only one hand stroking the puzzle hanging around his neck. "Yuugi?"

The darkness instantly vanished and Yuugi started awake. "Sorry, Jiichan, I think I zoned out. Are they gone?"

"Yes." He moved over to the other and touched the Puzzle – it was icy cold. "At least they don't really think you did anything, but suggested you lay low for a bit."

"Yeah..." He curled up on the couch, both arms around the Puzzle. "Especially if his gang decides to come after me..."

"You're innocent, but it would be a good idea if you and Anzu-chan walked home together for a while, and you shouldn't be alone even at school." his grandfather suggested. "I know you don't have a lot of friends, Yuugi-chan, but it's important. People sometimes act without thinking..."

"I know." Yuugi sighed and nodded. "I'll be careful, Jiichan." Though he wasn't sure he wanted to put Anzu into the path of trouble. After all, they were a whole gang; they weren't likely to stop any plans because he was with her. It might be better if he didn't go to school at all, but that felt cowardly and would be like admitting he had a reason to avoid them. A reason to act guilty.

No, he had to go back and face them. It wasn't like the whole gang was in his class after all, and Jounouchi at least had seemed to be, if not friendly at least not an enemy. "Don't worry about me."

"I know you're almost a man, Yuugi, but this old man's job is still to worry about you." he said seriously, then went and picked up the box Yuugi had brought down. "Now, about this puzzle."

"Oh." Yuugi looked down as though he had forgotten about it. "Can you read what's on the box, Jiichan? I thought it was just like those touristy things, you know, where they take random symbols and stamp them on."

"No." The old man turned the box over in his fingers. "There are actual hieroglyphic symbols. I think we should take this to an old friend of mine to be translated. I'm not an expert and I don't want to make a mistake." He could make out some of it, and what he could frankly he didn't like. "Professor Hawkins is in town, I was going to meet him for coffee tomorrow. Do you mind if I take this to him?"

"No, I don't mind. It's not... you sound worried." Yuugi rose and moved to his side. "What can you read, Jiichan?"

"..." He looked from Yuugi's changed gaze to the golden box. "I think it says that 'The one who is given to solve my maze will gain true knowledge of darkness; let him beware who is not the true son of Ra'."

Yuugi's brow furrowed. "I don't understand. True knowledge of darkness?"

"Yes." Jiichan gave Yuugi a firm look. "You said you dreamed. What exactly did you dream?"

"Well." Yuugi traced fingers over the Puzzle, struggling with a sudden reluctance to say. Which was stupid, it wasn't like Jiichan would laugh or mock him. "When I finished the puzzle, it started to glow... and kind of hovered. Then it bopped me in the forehead... right here." He pointed.

Sugoruko inspected the indicated skin, but there didn't seem to be any mark or bruising.

"I kinda fell backwards, and then there was this shadow..."

"Shadow?" Unlike is usual laid back tone, now Sugoroku's voice snapped like a whip. "A black shadow, with red eyes?"

"Yes..." Yuugi blinked at him. "How did you know?"

Without answering, Sugoroku lifted the puzzle from Yuugi's neck. "I should take this too; it might not be as harmless as it seems."

"Jiichan!" Yuugi made to take it back, giving the older man a look. "I'm not a little kid, you can't just take away my stuff."

"Yuugi..."

"An you should be honest with me. Why do you think it's dangerous?" The young man challenged, making his grandfather pause. Yuugi did have a point. . . he might look like a child but he wasn't, not any more. Not when he was already willing to go out on his own intiative to help his family, wise or not. It was years that taught wisdom, and at Yuugi's age he was still on some level convinced of his own immortality. Sugoroku felt suddenly old as he released the puzzle, letting Yuugi cradle it again.

"I saw your shadow when I came in." he explained. "You looked like it was mesmerizing you... I don't know what it is. It's not something I've seen before or heard referred to in any mythology of Egypt. But if it is of the darkness, or of chaos... it could be cursed. It could be some kind of _akuma._"

"_Akuma? _ A devil?" Yuugi frowned and shook his head. "But... that..." He thought back to his dream. "I don't think he wants to hurt me Jiichan."

"They never start out that way. Just let me have this until I speak to Professor Hawkins. He's a specialist, and he's kept up more on the latest finds. I'm sure he can put my fears to rest, and then you can have it back. If it is a benevolent spirit, I'm sure it won't mind being separated from you for a day."

Reluctance tore at Yuugi, obvious in his pained expression. Finally he dropped his head and nodded. "All right Jiichan."

"Thank you." He ruffled Yuugi's hair, and took the reluctantly proffered gold. "What on earth made you decide to style your hair like that?"

"Huh?" Caught off guard by the sudden change in subject, Yuugi pulled down a black spike and scowled. "It wouldn't co-operate even after my shower. I brushed it out and it looked like Son Goku's from Dragonball. The only thing I could do with it was this." He let the spike go and it bounced back up. "It's not teased up or anything. Just a bit of gel so I don't look like a rabid hedgehog." He ran his fingers through it. "At least it's grown back pretty quickly."

Too quickly. Sugoroku eyed the offending locks, trying to think how long it had been. Even yesterday his grandson's hair wasn't really long enough to spike. "Yuugi, did you get a look in the mirror today?"

Pausing in the middle of his motion, the smaller teen looked up. "I wasn't imagining it, was I?"

"No, and that's part of the reason I want this looked at." his grandfather murmured gently, waving the puzzle. "It's not normal, and ancient Egyptian magic... well of course most people don't believe it's real, but I do think that it could be. I've seen a lot of things that rational people dismiss, and I would rather not see you be a victim of it." He hugged his grandson close. "It could be a protective charm. It does have the Wadjet Eye on it, and that was supposed to be a symbol of protection and fortune."

"I understand, Jiichan." Yuugi leaned into the hug. "Can I come with you tomorrow to see Professor Hawkins?"

"Hmm." He considered it. Yuugi did have the right to know. "If the school is still closed."

Yuugi laid back on his bed, watching the ceiling as the evening shadows slid across it. He felt strange without the Puzzle in the room, which made no sense. He couldn't be that attached to it already could he? And that probably wasn't a good thing. All the stories generally agreed there; getting attached to mystical objects of power was usually a Bad Idea. Not to mention the part of the dream that he hadn't told Jiichan... the part with the dark. It gave him shivery feelings he didn't really understand, but he didn't think that darkness was malign. It didn't feel malign at least.

Unless it just wanted him to trust him... Yuugi flopped an arm over his eyes and groaned. When did life get so confusing? He just wanted to have a normal life, go to school, not have to worry...

It could be nothing. Just his imagination, but his grandfather had seen the spirit too. So he had to be real. And while Yuugi didn't think he meant any harm to him, per se, that didn't mean he was safe.

"Why did you pick me?" he wondered aloud. No answer came, but the room suddenly grew darker as the sun finally plunged below the curve of the earth. He sighed and rolled over... and almost jumped out of his skin as he met crimson eyes, watching him from shifting shadows. "You!" But Jiichan had taken the Puzzle away!

"..._he cannot keep me away." _ The shadow-figure brushed cool half extant fingers over Yuugi's hair.

"Who are you? What did you do to me?" His eyes drooped at the touch, but he fought against the soft lethargy the other's touch engendered.

The shadow-form couldn't show expression but somehow Yuugi got the impression that the other was smirking at him. "_We are bound." _

Bound? What did that mean? "I don't understand."

"_We are as one. Lost and found."_ Yuugi shook his head again at the cryptic words, whispers that send chills through his mind and body. Shadows drifted over his leg, gently, and the cool feeling was like a tranquillizer, relaxing him against his will. "_BiAw._"

Yuugi had only a few moments to wonder what the strange word meant before he felt his eyes drifting shut and his mind blanking, lost to the blissful cool emptiness. Soft touches drifted over his skin and he felt like he should be struggling, but couldn't remember why. He tried to shift, but none of his limbs would respond. It was just too much effort to move and think, so much nicer just to lay here and feel the shadows drifting over and through him. He breathed out, feeling the spirit beside him moving closer. He could almost feel it's fascination with him. Despite the coolness he started to heat up, his body warm and growing more so. The shadows drifted greedily closer and was that a purr from the dark spirit?

Yuugi wanted to open his eyes, so badly. He wanted to know who the other was, where he came from and why he was here, but the thoughts and questions wouldn't come. They drifted on the far side of a veil of shadow and Yuugi didn't have the strength or the will to reach for them.

:_you will, heba-i. Someday you will. For now, just rest. Only rest.: _


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh; all properties belong to Takahashi-sensei. The plot and bit characters are mine.

**Chapter 6 – Shadow Wars **

The sunlight struggled to pierce the thick roiling mass of clouds overhead as Yuugi and his grandfather walked toward the Domino Museum of Natural History. The teen watched with seeming idleness, but that was a ruse: he didn't want his grandfather attacked if the gang decided to go after him.

He hadn't mentioned the strange visitation or the effect the spirit had on him last night. Not that Yuugi was a dishonest soul, but his grandfather was already scared enough by this. He didn't need to know how the darkness felt to him... how he liked it. Nor that the spirit considered himself bonded to Yuugi. Likely Jiichan would be taking him to a Shinto temple to be exorcised rather than to the museum! "How long has your friend been into Egyptology, Jiichan?"

"As long as I've known him. We met on a dig in Egypt in fact. He's quite the man, is the professor." Sugoroku crossed his arms, head tilted back as he thought."Specializes in Ancient Egyptian 'magic' and rituals." He caught Yuugi's fascinated gaze and winked. "He even believes in it. People laugh at him for that. But he's a good man and highly intelligent."

"He sounds like it." Yuugi smiled. "Too bad people laugh at him for that." The teen tucked his hands in the front pocket of his kangaroo jacket; it was chilly this morning. And his fingers twitched, itching for the feel of cool gold. That probably wasn't a good thing. What if the Puzzle was cursed?

The whole curse of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb had been pretty much debunked, but considering what he had been seeing and feeling since he'd solved the Puzzle, it would be silly too dismiss it out of hand.

A different cool drifted over his mind and he shivered again. The spirit was never far, and Yuugi didn't know how he felt about that. The rational part of his mind told him he should be very afraid. But part of him, the part that half remembered dreams of cool shadow and mist, said that the spirit would never harm him, nor any friend or ally. Only his enemies had anything to fear. Still, instead of being comforting, he couldn't help but remember the picture the police officer had shown them. His enemies...

"Yuugi? We're here." His grandfather's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and Yuugi blinked, looking at the steps in front of his feet. Then he looked up.

Two sets of stairs led up to the large stone building, built in the Meiji era originally as a mansion in the Western style. Greek-style pillars – or maybe Roman, Yuugi didn't know enough to be able to tell the difference – dotted the front façade of the building, holding up a large triangular roof carved with bas reliefs. Stray sunbeams picked out metallic glints from statues atop the roof, too distant for his eye to pick out details. Closer up, two statues of samurai graced the front plaza, their stone piths surrounded by gardens now being tucked into beds of hogfuel for the winter. There weren't many people here, with it being the slow season for tourists. He could see an elementary tour group gathering by a pillar, the kids quiet but abuzz with muted excitement.

His hard boot soles tapped on the black-veined marble stairs, a sharp counterpoint to his grandfather's softer steps. Absently he counted them – fifteen – before he was at the yawning blackness of the doorway. It seemed to loom over him, towering much higher than a mere ten feet, like a great maw ready and eager to swallow him whole. For no reason he was suddenly afraid. His life was about to change, for good or for ill, the moment he stepped past that door, and terror flooded him, rooting him to the marble. He wanted to have a normal life, be a normal kid with normal friends... But it was too late, already far too late, he was never going to have a normal life again. He'd solved the Puzzle and now the knowledge of darkness was his, for good or for ill.

"Yuugi?"

The feeling popped like a bubble, the half vision vanishing. The doorway was suddenly just a door, no more sinister than any other doorway. The teenager gasped in air, not realizing he'd stopped breathing. "Sorry, Jiichan. It's nothing."

The old man gave him a look that suggested he didn't quite believe that, but let it slide for now. "Come on." He towed his grandson into the doorway.

There was a moment of blankness as his eyes adjusted, then Yuugi looked around at the inside of the museum. He hadn't been here in years, since he had been in one of those elementary school groups himself. The room shone with a dull golden glow thanks to the dim lighting – bright light could damage delicate artefacts – and yellow-brushed walls. It was quite a nice effect, Yuugi thought. It made the vast space less intimidating for people who might not be comfortable in such places.

Padding after his grandfather, they passed several exhibits on Japanese and international history before pausing at the administration door. His grandfather pressed the intercom. "Mutou Sugoroku to see Professor Hopkins."

There was a long pause, then the door opened to reveal a man taller than both Yuugi and his grandfather, dressed in a security uniform, black hair cut professionally short. "Come in."

The inside was narrower and dimmer, illuminated with flickering white florescent lights. The floors were plain hardwood, not stone, and the beige plaster walls were set with doors every ten feet or so. The security guard led them to the fourth door and opened it for them. "Please wait here. The professor will join you momentarily."

"Thank you." Sugoroku murmured, finding a seat not covered in a drift of papers. Yuugi stood, out out politeness – since he was the youngest – and because there weren't any other chairs besides the one behind the desk that weren't doing double duty as tables.

Clutter was the prevailing theme here, Yuugi thought as he looked around. It reminded him a lot of his grandfather's back room at the game shop. Organized chaos. Yuugi had no doubt the professor could lay his hands on whatever he needed in moments, but anyone else would be completely lost.

The door opened again. Yuugi glanced over as a tall American in an ancient tweed jacket and beige pants stepped into the room. He carried an armful of papers and looked in Yuugi's opinion like he hadn't slept in a while. He was younger than Jiichan, with salt-and-pepper hair and a thick moustache that showed the same evidence of age. He had several lines around his eyes and mouth, but Yuugi thought they looked like smile lines. "Sugoroku! Nice to see you again, old friend. You haven't been over in a while; I was starting to think you didn't like me anymore." he laughed.

"It's been a bit crazy over at the shop." Jiichan rose and helped him with the papers. "I haven't been able to really get away. But I wish this was just a social call, old friend. I'm afraid I must pick your brain on a professional level."

"Professional level?" The professor sat down. "And who is this?"

"My grandson, Mutou Yuugi."

Yuugi bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you_, _Hopkins-sensei."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Yuugi-kun. And please, call me Arthur."

"Arthur-sensei." Yuugi smiled slightly. "Thank you for seeing us."

"It's not a problem." He turned to regard Sugoroku again. "So what is it you want me to look at?"

Jiichan took the bag that he had been carrying this whole time and carefully extracted the items inside. First the box, glittering under the dull lights, and then the puzzle itself.

The American looked like someone had hit him over the head; his eyes bugged out, and his jaw gaped. "That..." He touched the artifact with a shaking hand, almost as though he couldn't believe his gaze. "The Millennium Puzzle?"

"That's what the letter called it." Yuugi and his grandfather exchanged looks. "You know it?"

"I thought they were a myth..."

"They?" Yuugi asked. "What they?"

"The seven Millennium Items. It's a very obscure myth." He lifted up the puzzle. "Seven ancient items of power, said to have been made to ward off the enemies of Egypt at the behest of the Pharaoh."

"Which Pharaoh?" Sugoroku asked.

"I don't know." the professor admitted. "Their dynasty isn't counted on the kinglists, and apparently it was a short one – only three or four rulers. After that it was struck from the histories, and if not for a few fragments there would be no record of them at all." He turned the item over in his hands, studying it in fascination. "It's like new... amazing. And you say it came in this box?"

"Yes." Yuugi waved a hand at the symbols on the side. "Do you know what it says?"

"Hm." He put the puzzle down reluctantly and lifted the box. "Amazing... where did you get this?"

"I won a contest put on by Industrial Illusions, an American game company. It was part of the prize." Yuugi replied. "Is it really from Ancient Egypt?"

"That or a remarkable forgery." The man studied the markings, then turned and rummaged among his papers for a while until he pulled out a book with a sound of triumph. "Ah. Here we go. The legend is fragmentary at best, I'm afraid. During the early part of the eighteenth dynasty – possibly - seven items of power were created that together were supposed to do something else. The tablet that we got this information off of is very old and was exposed to the elements for a long time, so most of the information was worn away... or possibly deliberately destroyed." He brushed his fingers over the symbols and made a note on a blank legal tablet. "Could you leave this with me? It will take a bit of time to translate properly; the language is difficult at best and subtle, but I may be able to discover not only what it says but the approximate era when it was created by the dialect and spelling of the words."

"Just the box?" Yuugi asked. Anxiety struck him at the idea of being separated from the Puzzle for any length of time. It was one thing to be in the same house, but not across town.

"Well, the Puzzle would probably be safer here, in a safe. If it's real, it's a national treasure of Egypt."

Yuugi gave his grandfather a pleading look. The old man sighed. "We'll take it with us. But there is something else I wanted to ask you about. Do you know of any Egyptian legends about a black ghost with red eyes?"

"Hmm." The professor considered that. "The closest I can think of is the _sheut_."

"_Sheut_?" Yuugi asked, pronouncing the strange word slowly and badly.

"In Egyptian mythology, there were supposed to be four parts to the soul. _Ka, ba, sheut _and _ren_; that is spirit, power or personality, shadow and name. Together the four made _ankh_ or life. This sounds like a shadow. Traditionally they were represented by carvings or statues painted completely black."

"Shadow. Yes. That sounds about right." Jiichan murmured. "I thought I saw one with Yuugi yesterday."

"Really? Strange... not a whole lot is known about them, since most of our knowledge of Egyptian mysticism comes from the '_Book of Coming Forth by Day'__*_ and there is little mention of the sheut's role." He arranged the puzzle's box under a desk lamp, peering at the symbols. "There is a mention of 'keku' as well, but the spelling is odd. It usually refers to the deification of the primordial darkness, but there's a determinative here that I am not familiar with." He tapped the box. "'House of darkness, where dwell the sheut and ka.'" he translated slowly. "It's not the usual term but sheut and ka might refer to a spirit or ghost."

"Oh." This was rapidly spiralling over Yuugi's head. But could the spirit trapped in the puzzle really be the shadow of someone who had lived in Ancient Egypt? "Are they dangerous?" he wondered, before realizing he had spoken aloud.

"I don't really know Yuugi-kun. It probably depends on the person... if it belongs to a good person than it probably isn't dangerous. But there's no way to really know."

His grandfather didn't look too mollified by that. "Well, I hope the translation on the box at least will offer some illumination."

"Very likely yes." Arthur agreed. "The translation is one thing; the context is another, one often forgotten in writings. We can hope that whoever commissioned this box was more thorough in his or her statements." He turned the box over in his hands again as Yuugi edged forward and took the Puzzle. Immediately a tension that he'd not acknowledged ebbed out of him, and the cool object seemed to throb in his hands. That should bother him, he felt. He should give it back to Jiichan, or leave it with the Professor to study. It should scare him that he didn't feel right when it was too far away, off balance, like he was missing a limb. All he would have to do was give it to his grandfather. Easy.

The cord slid over his head and the Puzzle settled against his chest. One hand patted it absently and the cool touch of the metal soothed him much like the ghostly one of the dark spirit.

Yuugi looked up and met his grandfather's concerned gaze, giving him a sheepish smile. He couldn't explain it, but the artefact just felt right, there. Like it belonged with him.

The older man sighed and turned back to the professor. "We'll leave you to that then and not take up any more of your time. I hope you'll call when you get this translated?"

"Of course, of course." Yuugi could tell that the man's mind was already deep in the mystery the symbols represented.

Sugoroku rose and the Mutous left quietly, walking down the hall. "You know I don't like it." he commented as they left the back area into the main section of the museum again.

"I know Jiichan, but... its mine. I can't explain it, but I think I was meant to have it. The letter said that no one else had ever solved this... I think that I could means that I was meant to have it."

"Or it could mean that you simply were good enough to solve it, and now you're stuck with it. Egyptian magic... it's dangerous."

"Jiichan..." Yuugi rubbed the back of his head. "I can't argue. It probably is dangerous, but I don't think it's dangerous to me. I don't feel like that spirit is going to hurt me."

"And how do you know he's not affecting your mind?"

"I can't. There's no way to prove it either way, other than if I start acting weird. I guess that's what you and Kaasan and Tousan will have to look for."

The older man nodded, accepting that for now. Yuugi knew his grandfather, though, and knew that if he started acting strange in the least he wouldn't hesitate to take the Puzzle by force if needs must. The teenager wondered if he should tell his grandfather about the fact that the spirit didn't really need the puzzle to manifest, but that would open a whole other can of worms he really didn't want to deal with.

He felt a soft touch in his mind and knew that the spirit approved. He did not want to be separated from Yuugi, that much he had made clear. And Yuugi didn't want to be a tug of rope between his family and the spirit.

As they walked back to the game shop in silence, Yuugi wondered if the spirit remembered who he had been when he was alive. He would have to ask him tonight, when they were alone. It wasn't like he would do it now... talking to himself (or seeming to do so) would not convince his grandfather of his stability.

:You do not have to speak aloud, _Heba-i._: the spirit whispered in his mind. Yuugi almost jumped, but managed to control the reaction.

:You can hear my thoughts?:

:We are bound.: came the enigmatic reply. :I am within you as you are within me.:

Well that made perfect sense... not. You couldn't have one person inside another and then that person inside them... it reminded him of those optical illusions, where the twists seemed to curve into themselves. But people weren't like that. :Do you know who you were? What your name was?: he asked, forming each word clearly in his mind.

:No.: The spirit replied, his voice a bare whisper of darkness that made Yuugi give a delightful shiver. He wished he knew why the 'feel' of the other always made him feel right, whole and wonderful. :I remember nothing before my entrapment here.:

:You were trapped in there? That's awful...:

:It is empty, and dark. There is no light there, or was not until you came, _mewet-i_. You brought me light again.: Soft touches over his skin; he had the distinct impression of being... nuzzled. A blush painted his cheeks.

:I'm glad I could help.:

"Yuugi?"

The teen came out of his thoughts and blinked at his grandfather. "Sorry, Jiichan, what?"

"I said that you can work in the shop this afternoon if you like." The older man frowned. "You seem distracted."

"Just a lot on my mind. I'll be okay, really." Yuugi gave him a smile. "I can organize the back room if you want to work the front." He loved his grandfather, but the old man couldn't organize his way out of a paper sack.

"That sounds good." Jiichan gave Yuugi another searching look, then nodded and led them back to the shop.

:Spirit? Can you hear me?: Yuugi 'thought' as hard as he could.

:I can always hear you, Heba.: Cool shadow drifted over his mind. :What do you wish?:

Yuugi's eyes slid half closed a moment with a shiver. After a moment he managed to reply. :I need to concentrate for a bit, okay? It worries Jiichan when I space out.:

:...: There was a moment of silence, contemplative and still. Then :Very well. I will not disturb you until you have finished your tasks for the day.: Another shiver-delicious touch. :But I am never far.:

A note on Japanese honorifics:

_-sensei_: Used with anyone of a professional standing. Doctors, for example, both medical and scientific. It can also be used as a term of respect for skilled artists of any stripe.

*More commonly known as "The Book of the Dead"


End file.
